The Celestials
by VariableMammal
Summary: A collection of ancient beings, forged form the Earth's infancy. They've long been diminished in Zootopia's past and fallen out of common belief. Join them as they observe a crucial event unfolding in Zootopia and what it may mean for these mystical beings.
1. A Brief Story of Things

There has always been Nothing and Everything.

However, the idea for them to work together was fairly novel. The idea began with the initiation of time itself.

Before time, Nothing was a very orderly place, which was fitting, as Order had created it. It was mostly just a set of rules, a perfectly governed set of rules in which many Somethings could happen. By its nature, nothing happened in Nothing, because its structure was too rigid to allow things to occur.

In Everything, by contrast, Anything was possible. And it all happened, all at once, all without structure or reason. This was the doing of Chaos. The sheer impermanence of Anything happening in Everything made it so that everything in Everything was ultimately meaningless, because it followed no laws and held no lasting impact.

As time had yet to exist, only as a rough concept in Nothing, both Nothing and Everything were content to exist indefinitely.

One of the greatest mysteries of all is why that changed. There was no enforceable law that opposites had to attract. Order had written it, but it wasn't beholden to its own laws. Chaos certainly didn't have to follow Order's laws, and the two had seen no reason to cooperate.

But something did change, and as Chaos brings change, it was Chaos who supposed it.

Suppose Anything could happen in Nothing. It was an intriguing idea, but Order balked initially. Logically, Order countered with the contrasting offer.

Suppose Something could happen in Everything. Chaos found this worrying, as it felt that Everything might be less fun with things such as "rules".

But, neither Nothing nor Everything would be lost by trying, so try they did.

As complete opposites, Order and Chaos were incompatible. Try as they might, their differences contrasted so starkly that all of their ideas annihilated each other when brought together. It seemed as though Order and Chaos couldn't create a structure that encompassed both of their ideals.

But, as was in Chaos' nature, it did something unpredictable. It relented.

On the next occasion that Order and Chaos put forth their ideas, time began, as it had been trying to do each time this happened.

Very suddenly, Everything was in Nothing again, and as set forth in the laws, Nothing tried to destroy Everything. But in this instance, it wasn't able to do so perfectly. Chaos had given less Everything than it had made to Nothing, and so without enough Nothing to destroy Everything, Something was able to exist.

The extremely brief moment of time when Nothing tried to resolve Everything was perhaps the most chaotic thing that would ever occur in existence, and it brought Chaos extreme delight.

Now, Everything exists, with the curse that eventually time would wear Everything down into Nothing again. But only Order and Chaos will be able to tell us what happens after time runs out.

By the grace of Order and Chaos we now exist, hung in a frame of our perceptions.

There is so much that spans the scope of creation, so many planes of existence, and on any one of those a being is only able to perceive so much.

Why is the physical universe in particular so compelling? Perhaps it is the realization that no structure in creation fulfills the struggle of Everything suspended in Nothing so perfectly than the physical universe. Everything tells its own miniature story of Order and Chaos. The birth and death of stars in particular, all of which are children of the massive explosion wherein one little drop of Everything was placed into Nothing.

It was particularly surprising that the concept of life could develop in such a structured, Orderly construct like the physical universe. Perhaps it did not surprise Order or Chaos as the rules in place allowed for it, but seemingly only just barely. Perhaps that's why life is so exciting.

When life develops on a planet, Order and Chaos visit the vicinity of that world to oversee it. When life becomes sufficiently advanced, its members are given souls to tie them to the greater structure of reality. The two Prime Deities do not keep their attention on a world forever. Instead, they craft little bits of themselves as specialized souls that are tasked to maintain and oversee the development of life on a planet. They inhabit their own specialized domain, unique to the world they have been given as their charge.

These beings are called the Celestials.

As all souls are initially, they were formless, but as life develops on a world, the Celestials change along with it to suit the needs of the world.

Of all planets, Earth was at first rather unremarkable. Life had already developed on several other worlds, and it initially seemed like Chaos just didn't think it was a good idea to have life develop on Earth. There were several major setbacks, including one that tore a huge chunk of the world away to become a moon, but eventually things settled back down into Order. As both Prime Deities had their fill of the world, they left, leaving a collection of Celestials behind them. As was now traditional, Order left just one more soul than Chaos, as was representative of the nature of the laws that allowed existence.

The Celestials, like the creatures of Earth, began rather dull and humble. As the creatures of Earth developed, however, it was clear something special was happening, particularly with a certain group of creatures that were eventually called "mammals".

They were becoming self-aware.

The Celestials of Earth obtained this gift just before the creatures of Earth did, as helpers to guide their development. Then the Celestials slowly took forms, as the various sapient mammals started to identify more with one Celestial or another. The unique personalities and responsibilities of the Celestials began to come more into focus as they became aware of things.

Life is ever changing, and so too will the Celestials change. Who knows what event will make them change, even just a little bit?

"I never get tired of hearing that story."

The speaker was a Celestial of Order named Growth. At most times, he appeared to be an adolescent deer. He had vivid green eyes and flowers, vines, and other plant-life adorned his small horns and swept across the rest of his body, down to even his hooves.

"As I never get tired of telling it."

The storyteller was an equine Celestial of Chaos, Phantasm. Her midnight coat sparkled with facsimiles of stars, whereas her gossamer mane and tail appeared to be crafted from fabric resembling the northern lights. She stood up on all four hooves in her particular area of the Celestial realm, a dreamscape full of lovely visions of heavenly bodies.

Growth pranced around Phantasm, his four light footsteps creating bursts of flowers on the "ground".

"So, can I come back for story time tomorrow?" Growth asked. "Can I?"

"Of course," Phantasm smiled. "I consider myself fortunate that you never grow tired of my ramblings. The other Celestials certainly do."

"I can 'grow' however I want!" Growth proclaimed with youthful boldness, holding his head aloft with his eyes closed. "It's no fun to grow old and tired."

"I'm sure the mortals would agree with you there," Phantasm nickered.

"So you really think that's how it all happened?" Growth wondered, his eyes big with curiosity.

"Well of course none of us were around to experience the beginning," Phantasm said airily, "and none of us have actually ever seen Order or Chaos, but I like to believe that was what happened. Of all of my ideas, it seems the most likely, and the most compelling."

"I'll say; it's a great story!" Growth nodded as the two fell into step beside each other. "I wish we could have met Order and Chaos when they were here."

"They might defy even _our_ abilities to perceive, little Growth," Phantasm chuckled warmly.

"That's no fun, I bet it would make a great story to tell if they did come back," Growth considered, shaking his head loose of a few pink petals.

"Well, I've often wondered if it wouldn't take something as Chaotic as a meteor impact to make Chaos return, or something as Ordered as an ice age," Phantasm seemed pensive. "We shouldn't invite calamity."

"Have you got any more stories, Phantasm?" Growth wondered, tilting his head. "I'm getting bored already."

"You insatiable little Celestial," Phantasm laughed. "I could tell you many more stories over the things I've thought of, though I'm sure some of them would be too esoteric for you to be interested in. However... I believe that even among ourselves, many stories can be found and told. Maybe you should ask some of the other Celestials for their stories, even if you don't think they have any."

"Hm, okay," Growth nodded. "I mean, things don't really happen in our realm too often..."

"Well, they might, all it takes is one little touch of Chaos to shake things up," Phantasm smirked.

"Of course _you'd_ say that," Growth laughed brightly. "Hey, is it weird that we get along? You being of Chaos and me being of Order?"

"Well, as I insinuated earlier, opposites do attract," Phantasm said with a sense of mystique. She began to trot away, and Growth considered her words briefly before accepting them and moving along his own way.

He hoped something interesting would develop in his realm, and soon. He was a restless little Celestial.


	2. An Unusual Happening

The Celestials called it the Garden of Souls. This was the area where mortal souls resided; it was a field of sparkling light and flitting thought. Here, new souls were born. Older souls returned here from their lives on Earth, where they waited for their next journey, as the lazy whims of Destiny decreed.

New souls came from the Source. This structure was hard to describe, but looked most like a crystalline tree, planted in the very center of the Garden, and on its many branches it occasionally bore souls when more were needed for the Earth's population.

On one occasion, two other Celestials roamed the field around the garden. More specifically, one roamed it, and another rode on her back. The one being ridden did not particularly enjoy this arrangement, but she tolerated it.

"It's so pretty here," Serendipity said dreamily, reclining on her 'mount's' back. She was the rabbit Celestial of Chaos, a capricious, lackadaisical little thing. It was useless to try to describe her fur color, as it was changing all the time, as was the color of her eyes. Her appearance tended to change more than any other Celestial. One thing did remain constant on Serendipity, and that was a little four-point star in each pupil of her eyes. Her ear tips and cheeks looks a bit frayed at the tips, befitting her appearance as a Celestial of Chaos.

"Well, it being 'pretty' is not why we're here," Karma said in a stern, reproving voice. Karma was the canid Celestial of Order, and closely resembled a wolf. Her fur color was of a soft magenta, but her eyes had a more fierce shade of this color. Though the common visible spectrum is a line, many beings understand it as a circle, and magenta is an imaginary color that connects the two ends. Karma was the Celestial of Circles, of things coming back around. To this end she had a large and long tail that could easily wrap around to her muzzle if she so desired.

"Why are we here, then?" Serendipity's voice was almost curious, but she was enchanted by the souls flitting about the Garden. She occasionally changed her colors to match the pale colors of the souls they walked past, though mostly she kept to a whitish color that stood out against Karma's.

"I just wanted to help you appreciate what a marvelous work of Order this Garden is," Karma said in a dutiful voice, approaching the Source and looking up reverently at it. "To be truthful, I tire of how unpredictable and 'random' you can be, Serendipity. You know the universe is tipped in the balance of Order, and this is how it should be."

"Give me a break," Serendipity rolled her eyes, then rolled her body, crawling closer to Karma's head. "You and I both know that every being has _some_ Chaos in it. Even you."

"Please," Karma shook her head. "While that may be true, it's commonly thought that I'm the Celestial _closest_ tuned to Order."

"Aaaaand I'm the Chaosiest Chaos Celestial," Serendipity pushed off Karma's back and started to float around, flying circles around Karma before hanging in midair close to Karma's muzzle. Serendipity didn't like traversing the ground like a "normal" animal, and no one had told her she had to, so she didn't. "What's your point? That I should 'know my place'?"

"That you should appreciate the scope of things," Karma thrust her head at Serendipity and shook it to try to brush the bunny away, but she floated just out of range.

"And here I thought you actually liked me or something," Serendipity smirked, "taking me to a sparkly place like this."

"I do well know how distracted you are by shiny things," Karma huffed in irritation, "but would you pay attention? I have a great deal of pride in this place."

Serendipity faced Karma, but floated backwards, folding her paws. "You know, the way I see it, this place is as Chaotic as it is Orderly."

"How so?" Karma narrowed one eye, walking after Serendipity on all fours. "All the souls come from the Source and always have!"

"Yeah?" Serendipity lowered her eyelids. "What about the 'soul bound' souls? Those that come in pairs or more? If Order truly reigned here, wouldn't all souls be the same? Instead, each one has some little quirky bits that make it unique."

"Just because-" Karma sucked her teeth, "just because there's some _variance_ in how souls are created doesn't mean its Chaotic. There's a process that the Source follows. It's all very well-arranged!"

"Uh huh," Serendipity put on an insufferably smug grin. "And where do those souls come from again?" Serendipity jerked her thumb toward the Source. "The Source?"

"Yes," Karma looked up at the Source.

"Soooo... how does it make 'em?" Serendipity shrugged and shook her head. "Where do the souls come from before they're made at the Source? Does the _Source_ make them?"

"Are you even paying attention!?" Karma growled.

"Hehehe..." Serendipity giggled, floating to and fro smugly as if she'd won a contest. "It sounds to me like the Source creates something from nothing. And that's the most Chaotic thing I can think of!"

Karma's pupils shrank and she looked incensed. "Listen here, Serendipity-"

"Um..." Serendipity's own eyes increased in size too. "Karma? Look behind you."

"That is quite possibly the oldest trick you've ever pulled on me," Karma's eyelids dropped halfway. "The very first one. Do you think I'm going to fall for it again?" When Serendipity's concern didn't waver, Karma sighed in disgust. "Oh fine. If it will please your infantile sense of humor..."

Karma looked behind her and saw the small pale sphere of an unmarked soul floating very close to her.

"Gah!" Karma trotted forward a few paces, but the soul followed her. "Wh-what? A brand new soul? Did the Source-"

"It shouldn't be doing that, should it?" Serendipity pointed at the soul. "I thought new souls only react to Destiny."

"They do!" Karma turned her head to sneer at Serendipity but then shrieked. "Oh no!"

"Oh no what?" Serendipity said, but looked down and found a different new soul floating near her. "Oh, hi!"

"Okay, this is- well, I don't know if it's _bad_ , but it's irregular," Karma began to look anxious. "Clearly I was in error bringing you here." She clenched her teeth. "Of course, of course I was wrong. Of course bringing a Celestial of Chaos to a place such as this would have made something unusual happen! Especially _you_ , of all of them!"

"Oh, so it's _my_ fault," Serendipity said dryly, though it sounded like she didn't care too much.

"No, it's- let's just get out of here!" Karma worriedly started running on all fours toward the edge of the garden. "These confused souls probably won't leave the Garden."

Serendipity floated after Karma, and the two crossed the edge of the Garden of Souls.

Karma looked back, and saw the two souls floating with almost curiosity at the edge of the Garden, though not crossing the demarcation.

"There, see?" Karma smiled, letting out a puff of relief. "Everything is fine and nothing is wrong."

The souls then rather unceremoniously wandered over to Karma and Serendipity again.

"Or not," Serendipity grinned.

"Agh!" Karma shrieked, suddenly running around in circles to try to lose the soul, which followed her in a way that could possibly be described as "merry" if one could attribute feelings to a brand-new soul. "Okay, okay, I will admit I've overstepped my bounds, and this anxiety I'm feeling is due process for my error. I am not above my own code of justice!"

"Ugh, what a fuddy duddy," Serendipity said, reaching out and cuddling the soul following her in her paws. "Hi, soul! We should probably take you somewhere safe. Maybe we should talk to Destiny about this?"

"Oh, right, we should entrust this to _Destiny_ ," Karma said sarcastically.

"Well, she is the Celestial in charge of souls," Serendipity cocked her head. "I mean, she's a little lazy, but..."

"No, you're right," Karma sighed. "We've... yeah, we've got to make this correct. Taking them to her, while it may not be the most... _expedient_ solution, is the correct one. Hopefully we can get them away from us so we don't throw this whole operation into disorder..."

"That would be pretty funny, wouldn't it?" Serendipity cast her gaze back to the Garden of Souls. "If all of those free souls over there just started whooshing around beyond the Garden and-"

Karma seemed to panic, making a whine that reflected this, and started running towards Destiny's Domain, which wasn't too far from the Garden of Souls. The soul following her hastened its pace to keep up.

"Wait for me...!" Serendipity droned in a playful, sing-song voice, her own errant soul following her as they flew toward Karma's direction.


	3. An Unexpected Responsibility

Destiny's Domain was fairly simplistic, but colorful nonetheless. It was full of pale wisps of color in every shade imaginable, and even many that weren't imaginable by mortals.

As the Celestial of Order concerned with souls, Destiny herself usually resided in her domain and was not often seen outside of it. Generally understood by mortals to be the Celestial of Death, she was maligned and unappreciated, and this led her to become lazier in her duties. As a result, mammals tended to live longer than they did in the past when she was more revered and more feared.

Destiny had the appearance of a giraffe. She would always take the appearance of the tallest mammal of the time to reflect the idea that no mammal was out of her reach. Her color had changed many times as well, as different mammals eventually gained the ability to see more and more colors. She always chose a color that no sapient mind of Earth could understand, inasmuch as death was a mystery that no mortal could solve.

In fact, if one looked at Destiny from a certain angle one could see straight through her and into her skeleton. Inside of her body, she swirled with the energies she was afforded to control souls. Her long spine also resembled a blade to communicate the idea that she harvested souls from the Earth to return them to the Garden of Souls.

The two errant souls that had begun to follow Karma and Serendipity floated right next to them, as if awaiting Destiny's judgement. The giraffe Celestial looked down at the two and smiled lazily. Karma and Serendipity both looked somewhat nervous, the former more so, as if they were about to be told something very dire.

"Congratulations," Destiny said finally. "You both are going to have children."

"What!?" Both Celestials shouted in response, and looked at each other, very alarmed.

"Celestials don't- they don't have _children_ ," Karma held one of her forepaws in the air, looking up at Destiny with concern.

Destiny gave a long, almost sinister laugh. "Not technically. However, they can have exemplars."

"Exemplars!?" Karma shouted. "Oh no...! Oh no no no..."

"Ooh, my very own exemplar?" Serendipity flew over to her tag-along soul and clutched it tightly to her. "That sounds fun!"

"How could this have happened?" Karma grit her teeth, her eyes reflecting her worry.

"Well, when a Celestial of a strong conviction wanders through the Garden of Souls," Destiny began to rattle off, "there's a chance a newborn soul might become attracted to their ideals and follow them. The soul then is technically an exemplar of their chosen Celestial and in life has a good chance to reflect their ideals."

" _You_ have strong convictions?" Karma turned her head toward Serendipity skeptically.

"Hey, just cause it might not seem like it...!" Serendipity wiggled her head. "And that they might not be the same as yours!"

"You have a strong conviction to mess around, I could believe that," Karma grumbled. Then, she let out a long sigh. "This can't be good. Don't exemplars by their nature break the responsibility that Celestials have to _not interfere_ in mortal life?"

"No, because exemplars are not Celestials, and as all mortals, they have free will and self-determination," Destiny droned in a bored voice. "They can do whatever they want."

"But the last exemplar I heard of was..." Karma turned her head down to think. "It was Surrender's wasn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," Serendipity recalled, nodding rapidly. "That was when predator and prey didn't live in harmony. Surrender wandered through the Garden of Souls, wondering how the world could come to peace and acceptance, and a soul followed him out!"

"And that soul helped broker peace between predator and prey," Karma said, her voice fraught with worry. "That was a _very significant_ event in mammal history."

"It was still up to the determination of that soul," Destiny explained.

"Still, these souls..." Karma looked at the soul following her briefly. "Um..." The soul was floating in circles in a somewhat adamant way. Karma shot a curious look over to Serendipity's soul, and it was beginning to glow with different colors. "Oh dear... they're already reflecting some of our traits."

"Ooh, I wonder if I can sync my colors up to it!" Serendipity chirped, holding the soul aloft and playing around with it, trying to match its colors.

"If they- if they're released onto the Earth," Karma tried not to become distracted by the frivolity. "Would they- would they change the world? Is the world even _ready_ for another paradigm shift as severe as the one caused by Surrender's exemplar?"

"I suppose that would be a question for Paradigm," Destiny said dully, uninterested in the question. "Now, do you want me to take them from you or not? I don't suppose you fancy being haunted by these souls for the foreseeable future."

"No, go ahead and take mine," Karma agreed, and Destiny widened her stance with her front two legs and the energies within her began to swirl faster. Serendipity offered up her soul as well by flinging it upward, and the soul was drawn into Destiny's body. The soul floating near Karma instead seemed to struggle to stay near the canid Celestial, but it too was inexorably drawn into Destiny.

"Hey, how about you send mine to Earth right now, Destiny!" Serendipity clapped her paws twice as she hovered in place.

"Wait-!" Karma sputtered.

"Very well," Destiny said. The soul exited the top of Destiny's head and got caught between her horns. With a burst of light and energy, Destiny fired the soul toward Earth, and it flashed colors serenely all the way there. The soul seemed to land right in the vicinity of Zootopia.

"What- I just-" Karma looked over in the direction of the Earth with helplessness. "You just sent an emissary of Chaos to the Earth? Who knows what calamity they will bring to it!"

"Psh, you're so grumpy, Karma," Serendipity folded her paws, looking irritated. "My exemplar will be a nice, happy person that loves fireworks and the jingly sound that coins make, just like me."

"Neither of you are necessarily correct," Destiny said. "Now, will you leave me alone, or would you have me send this soul too, Karma?"

"Both of them?" Karma winced. "I don't... well, if- er..." Karma for once found herself unsure how to proceed. "It certainly would seem more balanced for both of them to be on the Earth at once... but... no." Karma shook her head. "You may send _my_ exemplar out when Serendipity's inevitably causes trouble on the Earth."

Serendipity scoffed and held her arms out wide as if she was asking what Karma's problem was.

"So it's babysitting your exemplar's soul for me, then," Destiny said, starting to recline. She sighed at the minor inconvenience. "Very well."

"Have _you_ ever had a child, Destiny?" Serendipity asked brightly.

"No, can't say any souls have been too keen to follow me out of the Garden of their _own_ accord," Destiny chuckled. "Now, please leave. I've got some souls to collect today and I'm already late. Don't want them scattering too far through the aether."

"But that wasn't our fault," Karma narrowed her eyes, "you are notoriously lazy."

"Not lazy enough that Order has to intervene," Destiny smirked. "Run along now, little ones."

Karma sucked at her teeth and then withdrew from Destiny, with Serendipity floating close by.

"Wowee, Karma!" Serendipity grinned brightly. "I wonder just what my exemplar will be like? What type of mammal will their soul land in?"

"If I had to guess," Karma's eyelids drooped in annoyance, "it would be a loud, excitable, bubbly, irritating _bunny_."

Serendipity tapped her paw to her chin as she considered this. "Yeah, sounds about right." She started randomly flashing different fur colors that corresponded to some kinds of common rabbit coloration. "What color do you think they'll be? This one? This one? This one? This one?"

Karma sighed, her eyes squinting shut as she wagged her head in defeat.


	4. A Noteworthy Occasion

Karma's Territory was a rather simple place. It was circular shaped, of course, and was clearly but simply demarcated in her own little area of the Celestial Plane. When Karma came here, it was most often alone, to rest and to think. After pacing three circles around the center of her Territory, she laid down and brought her long tail into her muzzle, as she did when she was feeling pensive.

Attempting to think over the recent events in the Garden of Souls, she wondered if there was some greater design or reason for both Karma and Serendipity to attract exemplars. She found her thoughts disquieting; as a Celestial of Order, she found great change to be troubling. Karma was sure that she should have a longer discussion with Destiny about the ramifications of two exemplars showing up simultaneously. But for now, she would relax and try to center herself and her thoughts.

Of course, her peace was not to last. Equally as predictably, it was a Celestial of Chaos that broke her reverie.

She saw him only moments before he was upon her. A telltale cyan flash of speed that indicated Acceleration was rapidly incoming. Karma just managed to get her tail out of her mouth before instinctively gritting her teeth as the lithe white cheetah Celestial abruptly halted right in front of her. His sudden halt sent a burst of wind into the area that blew through her fur. Besides having white fur, Acceleration had a few other unusual traits. The sclera of his eyes were black, and his left pupil was a glowing cyan circle, and his right glowed red. He also had a ball of light that followed the tip of his tail around. He looked exuberant.

"Ah, Acceleration," Karma said dryly as she rose to greet him. "Bringer of news, forerunner of change, harbinger of alerts." She sniffed the air briefly. "Kitten of Chaos."

"I like that last one," Acceleration replied with a grin, his glowing pupils briefly becoming carets. His voice was rich and smooth; easy to listen to.

"I can only imagine you have approached me because you have something to tell me?" Karma continued.

"I do indeed!" Acceleration struck a ready stance on all fours, looking like he could take off at any time. "He has been born! The child has been born!"

"What child?" Karma's brow fell. "Children are born every-"

"The _exemplar_ , Karma!" Acceleration released a pitying laugh. "Serendipity's exemplar! He's been born!"

"Ah," Karma said tersely. "Well, I should hope I'm not the _first_ Celestial to hear the news."

"The third," Acceleration confirmed, nodding. "Serendipity has been watching his mother very closely for the past few days. But, since you two are fairly close, I thought I should tell you next!"

"What do you mean?" Karma narrowed her eyes, her tail drooping. "Serendipity and I aren't 'close'."

"Oh c'mon now," Acceleration smirked, rolling his pupils, which made several rotations in his eyes. "You and Serendipity are nearly as thick as Fortitude and Fervor, and they're both of Chaos!"

"Well, ignoring that drivel, I suppose you have other Celestials to tell?" Karma said impatiently.

"Of course, I do indeed!" Acceleration said, then in a flash of red, he ran directly away from Karma.

Karma stepped out of her Territory and began to walk around, feeling anxious. It was likely that she would get no serenity on _this_ day, of all days.

* * *

"Aaagh! Look at him! He's _sho cute_...!" Serendipity vibrated in midair, elated. She held her paws up to her cheeks and cooed as she saw her exemplar handed over to his mother. Serendipity, Growth, and Fertility were gazing upon the newborn through an astral view-screen.

"Simply adorable," Fertility agreed. She was the "other" lapine Celestial, but she was of Order. She was the Celestial of family and sexuality, and her fur was creamy-colored and rich and fluffy. One of her ears was cocked at a slight, intriguing angle, and she had a substantial, heart-shaped dewlap. She tended to sit up on her hind feet, which also highlighted her wide hips.

"A baby fox! That's pretty cool!" Growth hopped twice in place. His face was struck with sudden curiosity. "Uh, why is he a _fox_ , again?"

"I dunno, but _I'm_ certainly surprised!" Serendipity giggled, reclining back in midair. "So he's off to a good start as far as being my exemplar!" She let her giggling consume her and began to roll around multiple times in the air, ending in an upside-down pose. "Hey Growth, can you use his genetic profile to project what he'll look like when he's older?"

"Sure can!" Growth said, squinting his eyes and opening up another astral projection. His tongue lolled out a bit as a swirl of his power glowed green from his horns and an estimation of the adult form of the fox appeared in a blank space.

Serendipity righted her self and gasped, hanging over dramatically in the air. "Ooh! _Handsome_!"

"Indeed, though mammals usually don't go around naked on Earth," Fertility said, fluffing her cheeks. "Unless they're procreating, of course."

"Ooh, uh, uh..." Serendipity flailed an arm at Growth. "Put him in a card dealer's outfit! Give him a purple vest!"

Growth laughed. "Okay!" He followed Serendipity's request and the fox's image changed to include this outfit.

"So suave!" Serendipity reared back, holding her hands together, and manifested little heart-shaped fireworks bursting around her head. "Doesn't that just make his green eyes come alive?"

Fertility laughed into a paw. "Indeed, he looks like a treat for any vixen." She turned her attention down to the Earth view-screen. "I'm just glad he has a couple of loving parents. Even in Zootopia, it's important for a predator to have a good family, because they can face hardships from their marginalization."

"If Nick has a good mom and dad, he'll grow up to be a real winner!" Growth said in a determined voice, adopting a brave stance.

"And that _name_!" Fertility nodded. "Nicholas Piberius Wilde..."

"What about his name?" Serendipity blinked, currently sporting colors that looked very much like the infant fox.

"'Nicholas' means 'victory of the people'," Fertility recalled. "It's a very strong name, and for an exemplar to have that name... it might signal that something grand will become of him!"

"Ooh!" Serendipity said brightly, the sparkles in her eyes rotating. She laughed brightly. "Karma's not gonna like that!"

"What am I not going to like?" Karma asked, slowly stepping into the midst of the three smaller Celestials.

"Oh hi, Karma!" Growth greeted with a grin. "Heh! She always seems to 'come around' when you're talking about her."

"Karma, look! Lookit!" Serendipity flew over to Karma and pointed at the screen. "It's mah baby."

"That's not _your_ baby," Karma muttered. "It's the child of his mother and father- and- wait, he's a _fox_?" Karma blinked. "How can he be a _fox_? ...There must be some mistake. Perhaps Destiny got the exemplar's souls mixed up."

"Nuh-uh!" Serendipity shook her head. "Nick's soul was glowing different colors the whole way to Earth! He's definitely mine!"

"Exemplars only rarely match even a _similar_ species of their patron Celestial," Fertility said. "We've taken our forms based on the popular opinions of what animals correspond to what aspects of life we oversee. However, every _individual_ is different."

"Be that as it may..." Karma's eyes shifted around, "it's rather... _unnerving_ that Serendipity's exemplar has drawn from the species pool of _my_ closest followers..."

"Why?" Growth tilted his head. "You an' Serendipity are good friends, aren't you?"

Serendipity lowered her brow and smirked, her paws on her hips as she leaned into Karma. "Yeah, _aren't we_?"

"Ah..." Karma lifted a fore-paw off the ground, her tail low. "Perhaps I should- perhaps I should talk to Destiny about this situation." Karma turned tail and quickly went off in the direction of Destiny's Domain.

"I mean, aren't we?" Serendipity's smug look evaporated into something like disappointment.

"I think Karma adores you more than she can express," Fertility walked over to her with a gentle smile. "You'll have to give her time. But if you've earned her friendship, which I'm pretty sure you have, you know she'll have no choice but to return it to you. It's her way."

"Okay!" Serendipity gave a suddenly frivolous shrug and went back to looking at Nick being cuddled by his mother.

* * *

"Destiny! Destiny...!" Karma entered the giraffe's Domain, but Destiny wasn't there. Karma paced around hesitantly, sniffing the air, and she caught the scent of souls. She rushed over to see Destiny, who was slowly returning to her Domain. "Destiny, we have to talk about the exemplars."

"Well, you aren't going to like this..." Destiny said carefully.

"I've been hearing that too many times today," the bottoms of Karma's eyes came up.

"I've- well," Destiny grit her teeth, looking away. "I've misplaced your exemplar's soul."

"You _what_?" Karma shrieked. "How!? Souls are drawn to you! What happened to it?"

"Well, it made a break for it while I wasn't paying attention," Destiny explained. "It was nearly beyond the horizon of my sight by the time my eye caught it. You know I'm not a fast Celestial. It could be anywhere by now."

"I cannot _believe_ you are so poor at your job!" Karma growled, baring her fangs at Destiny, who raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "It's a wonder the Earth isn't full of ghosts by now!"

"Because I misplaced _one_ soul," Destiny lowered her head to look at Karma testily.

"Because you misplaced an _exemplar_!" Karma shouted. " _My_ exemplar!"

"My my," Destiny raised her head and tilted it upwards. "Look who suddenly cares about her exemplar. Look, Karma, your exemplar's soul is particularly... vivacious, especially for a newborn. I wouldn't worry, though; souls really don't have too much to do here, so since its _your_ exemplar and everything it will likely return... eventually."

"Eventually," Karma repeated with a click of her teeth. "Unbelievable."

"What's with this sudden attitude?" Destiny asked drolly. "I thought you were going to wait until Serendipity's exemplar caused trouble."

"Well, he's already caused trouble by being born a fox," Karma licked at her teeth. "If even his _species_ is unpredictable and capricious, who knows what he'll be capable of as Serendipity's exemplar..."

"Maybe you should go find your own exemplar," Destiny suggested.

"I just might!" Karma growled. "This time, you _will_ send the soul."

"I will, if only because I tire of you hassling me," Destiny grumbled.

Karma turned her muzzle up with a "hmph!" and left. But try as she might, she spent the rest of the day fruitlessly looking for her exemplar's soul while evading questions about just what she was doing. She returned to her own Territory, hoping to find it there, but it was not.

She groaned as she slumped down into a laying position, placing her muzzle on her fore-paws.

It was always troubling when she was beginning to care about something.


	5. A Desperate Search

Just about eight years went by.

Karma wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but she scoured the Celestial Realm up and down to look for the soul of her exemplar. She couldn't find it anywhere. Every day she looked; she searched in areas both populated and empty, to no avail.

One day, Karma was trotting along at a hurried pace when she saw Serendipity laying with her back on the ground, her color almost blending in with the mix of milky colors that made up the Celestial ground. Karma held one paw up off the ground and gasped softly as she was mildly surprised at noticing Serendipity. Seeing the rabbit in this state was somewhat alarming to Karma, but not in a way she had come to expect.

Of course, Serendipity often liked to startle Karma; whenever she could, if possible. But even after that small gasp, Serendipity didn't react. The bunny Celestial had a despondent look on her face, and let out a groan.

"You surprised me," Karma piped up, wanting to humor Serendipity for a reason she couldn't explain. "I almost didn't see you there."

"Meh," Serendipity rolled over to be flat on her belly, plopping her head down onto her hands. Her paws sunk into her cheeks.

"What's the matter, Serendipity?" Karma walked slowly over to the bunny. "It isn't like you to be so mopey."

"It's Nick," Serendipity mumbled. "He's sad, so I'm sad."

"Well, it doesn't have to be that way!" Karma tilted her head up and gave a proud grin. "Nick is just one mortal, and you don't have to-"

"But he's my exemplar, Karma," Serendipity whined, huffing, "my onliest one. I can't help it if I'm pathetic."

Karma tried very hard to swallow a quickly forming grin. "I think- I think you mean _empathetic_ , Serendipity."

"Eh, maybe," Serendipity flicked her arm out, opening an astral window so she could see Nick. The small fox was huddled near a staircase, weeping.

"What- what _happened_ to him?" Karma grit her teeth, wincing.

"He was gonna join the Junior Ranger Scouts," Serendipity looked longingly up at the display. "But he was gonna join a group that only had prey mammals in it. And- and they ostracized him and made fun of him."

"Oh, that is _not_ okay," Karma's brow fell. "The ones going against that young fox will get their due, and your exemplar will receive recompense."

Serendipity turned her head over to Karma and, for once, was quiet. Karma felt uneasy at observing Serendipity's blank face.

"Do you really think that's how it's gonna work?" Serendipity challenged. "With _my_ exemplar?"

"No mammal is above justice," Karma shook her head.

"You said it yourself, Karma," Serendipity looked away from her, "we're the most different of all Celestials. You're the orderest Order, and I'm the chaosest Chaos. I don't think Nick will ever get what he deserves as long as he's _my_ exemplar. Even if he's a really nice, really sweet boy... I- I just feel like I'm doing something wrong." Serendipity released a shuddering sigh, trembling a little.

"What would that be?" Karma's brow raised as she saw Serendipity's distress. She tried not to be too concerned, but the image of the bunny who lost her will to float was upsetting to her.

"Well, you know I have my sense for when something unexpected is going to happen," Serendipity pointed at her ears. "I can almost hear it, like 'go that way, there's going to be a surprise'!"

"Yes?" Karma nodded once.

"Well, I've gotten a few _big_ ones about Nick," Serendipity frowned, her breaths coming quicker. "And the first time, he lost his father. Now, he had his dreams crushed right in front of him. I feel like... I feel like I'm being _mocked_..."

"Because the surprises are bad, and not pleasant?" Karma wondered.

"Because I could stop them!" Serendipity shot a pitiable look to Karma, and she saw the distress in her eyes. "If I'd- if I'd just changed one traffic light here or there, or just- just mixed up the forms so Nick joined a different chapter of the scouts, one with a predator in it... maybe none of this bad stuff would have happened to him..."

"N-no, Serendipity, no," Karma shook her head firmly. "Nick... he may be having a difficult life, but you _cannot_ interfere."

"It'd just be a little!" Serendipity grit her teeth hard, standing on her hind feet. "C'mon, changing a traffic light would hardly be noticeable interference."

"Serendipity," Karma said carefully. "You remember that Surrender did _nothing_ when his exemplar was on Earth. And even then, his exemplar changed the world. Who knows what would happen if you interfered? You well know one little change can have a host of ramifications-"

"Yeah, but Surrender's... Surrender! _And_ he's an Order Celestial!" Serendipity begged. "I'm- I'm Chaos! Maybe I'm _supposed_ to interfere! Maybe that's what I'm missing! Maybe all this bad stuff is happening to Nick and- and it's _my_ fault for not fixing it!"

"You will _not_ interfere, Serendipity!" Karma shouted, slamming a paw down on the ground. "Have you considered that he might be having a hard life to teach you a _lesson_? That perhaps not all of life's surprises are showers of confetti and coins? Maybe that's what your exemplar is meant for!"

Serendipity's jaw dropped slightly. "...You can be so cold, Karma." The bunny turned her head away from the canine.

"...I- I have to go, Serendipity," Karma said, turning her body. "There's... something I must do."

"Leave me alone," Serendipity said heavily, drooping to the ground and forlornly looking at the upset fox kit again.

Karma grit her teeth, then took off running. She felt emotions welling up within her. She didn't really mean what she said regarding Nick. In fact, she felt that misfortune in the fox's life might be _her_ fault. She broke into a full run as she whizzed by different areas of the Celestial Realm, looking for some sort of clue to where the lost soul might be.

"I must fix this," Karma muttered to herself between pants. "I can't believe I've been so _blind_. Of _course_ Serendipity's exemplar is out of alignment; mine isn't on Earth to counterbalance the two. I _must_ find my exemplar's soul and bring it back to Destiny, or else that poor fox will be miserable all of his life. I just know it!"

Karma's rapid pace attracted Acceleration's attention, and he ran up alongside her, effortlessly keeping pace with her fastest running speed.

"Not now, Acceleration!" Karma shouted.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Acceleration's colorful pupils blinked in confusion. "I rarely see you looking so wild."

"Not! Now!" Karma clarified. "This is something one of Order must do!"

Acceleration looked momentarily offended, then sighed. "As you wish, Karma." Acceleration took off much faster, leaving a red streak of light in his wake. Karma slowed her pace, giving a frustrated groan at her tendency to shove Celestials of Chaos away from her.

" _Think_ , Karma," she said to herself. "What would your exemplar do? What would _you_... ah! I'd go back to my abode. I'd complete a circle." Karma headed back to her Territory, but paused. "No... no wait. My Territory is not where my exemplar came from... it came from the Garden of Souls!"

Karma lost no more time, and rushed over to the Garden of Souls. There were many newborn souls there, and they all looked indistinguishable from one another.

"Come on... one of these souls must be it..." Karma said worriedly. "Even after all this time up here, is there _nothing_ the soul can do to distinguish itself?"

After at least an hour of looking, Karma was getting desperate. From nowhere, an idea struck her. She thought it foolish, but she figured she might as well try. Karma tilted her muzzle upwards and let out a long, loud howl, then a second one.

A few souls parted from her, seemingly instinctively put off by the sound. They seemed to almost clear a path for Karma.

"The third time is a bond, it is a completion!" Karma exclaimed, letting a third howl out. Yet another wave of souls cleared for her, leaving just one in the midst of them. It was almost curiously hovering right near the base of the Source.

"Ah!" Karma felt a shiver of desperation, rushing forward and looking over the unmarked soul. She sniffed at it. "It's you, isn't it? You smell... traveled. You've been wandering for a long time, haven't you?"

The soul's only response was to start floating around in circles.

"It _is_ you!" Karma felt a burst of relief. "Okay okay, enough exploring for you, little one. We _must_ get you down to Earth. Balance must be restored."

The soul seemed eager to follow Karma as she trotted off. Not wanting to be careless, Karma made sure the soul was following her as she left.

* * *

"So you're one hundred percent sure it's my exemplar," Karma's eyes crossed as the soul flitted about near her forehead.

"Soul identification is my specialty, Karma," Destiny said with a testy look down at the canine. "It is your exemplar. Not Serendipity's, not some other soul that has yet to walk the Earth, yours."

"Please send it _immediately_ ," Karma pleaded. "I fear that without my exemplar on the Earth, Serendipity's is experiencing an imbalance of primal forces."

"As you wish," Destiny said, drawing the soul toward her. As before, it resisted, but it could not escape. It swept up through Destiny and in between her horns, where it was shot off to Earth in a spiraling, vaguely circular fashion.

"Go and live, soul," Karma smiled, nodding as her tail swept a couple of times. "Bring balance to the Earth. One exemplar of Chaos, and one of Order."

" _Two_ of Order," Destiny corrected.

"Two!?" Karma sputtered. "Wait- what!?"

"You're forgetting Surrender's exemplar," Destiny droned in dry amusement. "That soul lives again."

"But..." Karma looked very alarmed.

"Just because a soul finishes one earthly circuit doesn't mean it can't enjoy another," Destiny blinked slowly. "Surely you knew that."

"Oh no... what have I done?" Karma cringed, her shoulders coming up.

"Relax," Destiny groaned. "You're so dramatic. You know there is just one more Order Celestial than there are Chaos Celestials."

"Oh- of course, of course," Karma nodded rapidly. "You're right." She let out a long sigh. "Yes, everything is fine. Order must slightly outweigh Chaos. It is the natural way of existence."

"You shouldn't be so quick to panic," Destiny laughed dryly. "Everything has a way of working itself out. You should know this better than anyone."

"Yes, but there's a personal responsibility on my part that I failed," Karma frowned. "From entrusting you with my exemplar's keeping to thinking it would be a good idea not to send it simultaneously with Serendipity's."

"I don't believe that it will matter too much one way or another," Destiny smirked. "What will happen will happen, and nothing will stop that."

"I suppose we shall see," Karma said with a small frown, and walked away from Destiny.

* * *

Karma caught her tailtip twitching occasionally. She sat up alert, her forelegs proudly placed on the ground as she stared through an astral window to Earth. She tried to control the welling feelings, and mastered them just in time when Serendipity started approaching, floating toward Karma curiously.

"What're you staring at a bunch of dumb bunnies for?" Serendipity's voice was dubious as she drew forward cautiously. Karma said nothing, smiling serenely. Serendipity flitted up in front of Karma's view, giving her a skeptical glance.

"Serendipity, please move," Karma said pleasantly. "Bunnies are not dumb."

"You're in a good mood for once," Serendipity scoffed. "So what made you have the change of heart? What are you doing?" Serendipity's face became obnoxiously inquisitive.

"Waiting for my exemplar to be born," Karma smiled wider.

"What!?" Serendipity spun around and gasped enormously. "Wait, _what_!? Is that- is that the mother? She's a _bunny_!?"

"Indeed," Karma rolled her eyes, her voice rich with a playful sarcasm. "I don't know why I expected anything else, really."

"Your exemplar's a _bunny_!?" Serendipity started giggling uncontrollably, flitting around in the air erratically.

"Yes, yes, laugh it up, fluffball," Karma groaned in good humor. "My exemplar's a bunny. I'm trying to stay away from Destiny; I want to see if I can pick the exemplar out from the litter when it's born... or if I'll have to get Destiny to tell me."

"Maybe your baby bunny will have magenta eyes!" Serendipity smiled.

"Perhaps," Karma shrugged. "Or perhaps I will know they are my exemplar through other means."

"So uh..." Serendipity cocked her head, her body rotating to look at the very pregnant female bunny through the window. "What's- what's it _mean_ that you have a bunny and I have a fox?"

Karma sighed with a smirk, shaking her head. Her voice came, and it was nearly fatigued.

"I have no idea."


	6. A Missing Piece

"I can't wait!" Growth burst out. "The play's just about to start!"

Growth and Drive looked through an astral window to a small barn in the middle of a Bunnyburrow fair. There, a nine-year-old gray bunny was getting ready to perform a play about her dreams for the future.

Karma happened by and gave a half-look into the window, then her gaze fixed. The bunny was her exemplar.

"So, may I ask what you two are doing besides your duties?" Karma asked the two Celestials wryly.

"Watching your exemplar!" Growth said excitedly. "She's about to do a play about what she wants to be when she grows up."

"She has a lot of conviction for one so young," Drive said proudly, smiling. "You should be proud of her." Drive was the Order Celestial of paths and motivation, and she appeared in the form of a golden-brown-furred caracal. She had black markings all over her that made her coat look somewhat like a map, and had a black compass rose marking on her forehead. The tufts of fur on the tips her ears were slightly more pronounced than a mortal caracal.

"Judy wants to be a police officer," Karma noted as the play began. "She wants to make the world better. A noble goal, though somewhat outlandish in her case."

"What, just cause she's a bunny?" Growth turned his head to look at Karma.

"She wants to be a police officer in Zootopia, where there are no bunny police officers," Karma said. Judy received a pretend scratch from one of her feline co-stars. "Oh, don't miss this part, Growth."

Growth turned his head back to look as Judy was being quite over-dramatic in her play, throwing red ribbons everywhere and spurting ketchup all over herself to resemble blood. He laughed in amusement at the "gruesome" scene, and Drive joined in after a little while.

"Judy's sentiments are pure," Karma declared, betraying a note of pride, "however, her goal is improbable. Youth often put forth unrealistic goals."

"Yeah, until the realities of the world weigh down their indomitable spirits," Growth said bitterly. "That's no fun."

"If anything, I'd say because Judy's an exemplar, she should have more conviction to justice than your average mortal," Drive smiled.

"Perhaps so..." Karma agreed, nodding.

After the play ended, circumstances saw Judy boldly stepping in to stop her friend Sharla from being bullied, only to be attacked herself.

Growth gasped. "Oh no! Bullies can really hamper a young one's development!" His face became anxious. "Jh-just like Nick!"

After the incident, though, Judy instead emerged with an even firmer resolution to defy a bunny's expectations.

Drive clicked her teeth, impressed. "She really is a special one, Karma. Fertility told me that Judy means 'she will be praised'. Do you think that name is somehow prophetic in her case?"

"I'm actually afraid of that," Karma admitted with an even expression, looking down at the resolute bunny that was her exemplar.

"Why?" Growth's brow narrowed.

"The current climate of the world means that it is extremely unlikely that Judy will ever be a police officer," Karma noted. "If that is to change, that change would likely be brought about by her."

"And?" Drive cocked her head, her tail flicking. "Maybe her resolution is that the world grow, that it be more accepting of those with different abilities and talents."

"She can do it!" Growth nodded. "I believe in her!"

"Belief will only get us so far," Karma said with a hint of mystery. "I have a feeling only _action_ will cause Judy's dreams to be realized... a very, very unlikely action."

Growth and Drive shot each other a confused look as Karma slowly wandered off.

* * *

More than a decade went by.

Serendipity's Parlor was a treat for the eye. In it, piles upon piles of astral-simulated gold and gems sat upon each other, sparkling in the ambient light. Decorations both garish and flashy were all over the place, giving it the feel of a casino.

Karma burst right into the Parlor, and she was in no mood to indulge herself in the gaudy decor.

"Serendipity!" Karma shouted. She could smell that the bunny was about, and she might be in any of the piles of treasure, waiting to surprise her. "Serendipity, get out here!"

"What's up?" Serendipity poked her head out of a pile of golden coins sprinkled with various gemstones. The bunny's colors matched the gold, with her eyes taking on a green and purple gem-tone.

"Serendipity...!" Karma growled at the head of the bunny as she sloughed treasures off of herself. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"Find out about what?" Serendipity asked innocently, starting to float over the pile of treasure.

"The 'Mammal Inclusion Initiative'!" Karma barked, and Serendipity looked momentarily stunned.

"What's that?" Serendipity asked playfully.

Karma growled again. "Oh, I don't know, only the _one thing_ that could perhaps give Judy a shot at being a police officer and achieving her dream! Quite 'serendipitous', wouldn't you say?"

"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Serendipity smiled brightly.

"Don't play cute with me," Karma's face held a reserved fury.

"What, doesn't Judy _deserve_ to achieve her goal?" Serendipity crossed her arms and rolled her eyes as she floated there. "Shouldn't her determination and effort yield results? I mean, she's _your_ exemplar; it seems fitting to me."

"It's extremely improbable in the current situation of the world!" Karma shouted, starting to pace around in circles. "Am I to believe Mayor Leodore Lionheart just _randomly_ got it into his head to be more accepting toward mammals working toward non-traditional careers?"

"Oh, I dunno," Serendipity smirked, her voice airy. "Sounds like he's trying to curry the favor with small prey voters to me. Sounds perfectly mayor-y." She wiggled her head as if she head dealt a compelling argument.

"You can deny it, but I know you had a paw in this, Serendipity," Karma said lowly. She opened an astral window in their midst and showed Nick Wilde, Serendipity's exemplar. He was wandering the streets, pulling benign scams to earn money. "I know what game you're playing."

"Am I playing a game?" Serendipity lowered her eyelids, her mouth a broad smirk. "You can't prove I gave Mayor Lionheart that idea." She scoffed. "Why would I help _your_ exemplar, anyway?"

Karma jerked her head toward the window. "Because you want to help _your_ exemplar! Look at him! He roams the streets, wringing money from hapless mammals... hardly a life full of fun and surprises."

"Oh, nonsense!" Serendipity flicked her paw, floating toward the window and indicating the fox with her paws. "He's just fine! It's only his great fortune that's let him survive this long on the streets of Zootopia. He's perfect!"

"You want things to change," Karma narrowed her eyes, pacing around the window. "It's in your nature as a Chaos Celestial. You want to draw Judy closer to Nick. You believe that them drawing closer would be like mixing two catalysts together... two exemplars, in the same area... who knows what sort of surprises could happen!"

"Mmm... sounds like you're projecting, to me," Serendipity said wryly, but then started to fidget, drawing her paws closer to her mouth. "But I mean, it _would_ be pretty cool, right!? Both of our exemplars together in Zootopia, playin' cops and robbers. A bunny cop against a hustler fox! It would be _so much_ fun!"

"Serendipity!" Karma's rage alighted, her long tail arching upward. "This is _not_ a _game_! This is _reality_!"

Serendipity's humor vanished and she hung there blankly. "Listen, Karma. I've always known you had a stick up your tailhole, but it seems like Growth might've upgraded it to a tree. You've been _so fussy_ ever since our exemplars graced Earth."

"I've... I've good reason to!" Karma insisted, halting her pacing.

"Right, because 'all actions have consequences'," Serendipity folded her arms, wiggling her ears this way and that as she tossed her head. "Well, duh."

"Serendipity... I..." Karma's rage diffused and was replaced by worry. Her voice became more official. "Allow me to show you something."

"Okay?" Serendipity put her hands to her sides.

Karma closed one astral window and opened another. It was of a small congregation of mammals in a church. The pastor asked the members of the congregation to turn to a particular passage in their holy book. As they did, Karma paused the display and zoomed in on the verse.

"The Book of the Lamb?" Serendipity looked over the page.

"Surrender's exemplar wrote a few of the latter parts of this book," Karma explained. "This inscription is particularly... I find it particularly unsettling. Read it."

"Um, okay," Serendipity peered at the scripture. "'I will make my confession. As I drew toward the predators to offer them peace, I found Calamity within my members. The urge to overwhelm, to crush, to destroy. The advantage was ours, and it was within our grasp to take what was theirs. But I had sworn myself to acceptance, to tranquility. I shunned Calamity and put on the coat of surrender, and prepared myself to speak to them'."

"Do you notice anything about that?" Karma asked in a worried voice.

"That's just..." Serendipity shrugged. "I dunno. I guess there was a call to Chaos right before the exemplar managed to make peace between predator and prey?"

"None of the Chaos Celestials did this," Karma said hesitantly. "At least... not that we know of."

"Are you saying there are..." Serendipity looked around. "Are there Celestials we don't _know_ about?"

"Look at the scripture again, Serendipity," Karma nodded to the window. "Calamity is spoken of like an entity, whereas the patron Celestial, Surrender, is just a concept, as it should be."

"Uh, you're kind of losing me, Karma," Serendipity began to look both confused and bored.

Karma shut the window and opened another one. Inside was a cave with ancient paintings.

"From old times, when the Celestials were young," Karma said. "From right before a clan of deer rose to war with another. The writing says 'We invite Calamity. Let blood be spilled, let his will be done'." Next to the text was a crude drawing of a hyena. "Why would a deer clan paint a depiction of a hyena?"

"Hyenas were... opportunistic predators in prehistoric times?" Serendipity shrugged. "I guess it would make sense that even prey would see them that way. But- but there's no Celestial called 'Calamity'."

Karma opened up several other windows, all with references to a hyena called 'Calamity'. Ancient depictions, even a mural that had several other renaissance paintings of Celestials featured on it.

"Calamity, Calamity, Calamity," Karma repeated. "A Celestial of Chaos. Bringer of war. Purger of populations. Harbinger of disaster."

"But... but he doesn't exist!" Serendipity said. "There's no- there's no 'Calamity'!"

"Exactly right!" Karma shouted in desperation. "And... over the years, I've wondered _why_. _Why_ is there no Calamity?"

"Easy girl, let's not get too worked up," Serendipity held her paws up. "You know as well as I do that Fertility is in charge of population control, Paradigm is called upon when disasters occur, and Fervor incites feelings of battle."

"Was that _always_ the case, though?" Karma asked. "Do you think that perhaps... those Celestials had to take on additional responsibilities? Fertility is also in control of sexuality, Fervor of feelings of passion, and Paradigm invites drastic change in lifestyles. Perhaps they had to be looked to for those things because Calamity no longer exists."

"He never existed!" Serendipity threw her arms out wide. "Or else we'd _know_ about him!"

"I'm... not so sure about that," Karma said worriedly. "After the time of Surrender's exemplar... there are no more references in mammalian history to Calamity. War for the most part has seen a decrease. Mammal history before that time was much bloodier, much more chaotic."

Serendipity gasped, looking terrified. "You think that... did... did Surrender's exemplar somehow _destroy_ Calamity?"

"I... I don't know," Karma wagged her head. "But... you've heard of Phantasm's tale, right? Of how we all came to be?"

"Right," Serendipity held up a paw. "There's always more Order Celestials than Chaos ones."

" _One_ more Order than Chaos," Karma winced. "Why just _one_? Why isn't everything in total balance? Can you remember her telling that story _before_ Surrender's exemplar became merely a soul again?"

"Um, not exactly..." Serendipity began to look anxious. "...But- but the physical universe... it had more matter in it than antimatter at its conception, right? That's... that's a perfect parallel-"

"It isn't!" Karma insisted. "The universe exists by design! By rules! Antimatter may be the opposite of matter, but it still abides by the rules... it's only when they _meet_ that Chaos occurs."

"So- so you believe that... Calamity was obliterated?" Serendipity asked cautiously. "And... we can't even _remember_ him? You wouldn't think that a _mortal_... even if they were an exemplar, would hold such power over us..."

"Maybe, Serendipity..." Karma shook her head. "But I have another theory. We as Celestials have never personally experienced Order and Chaos in their personas... that we _know_ of. Maybe... maybe Calamity went too far. Maybe he tipped the scales beyond what was tolerable and he- he was extinguished. From the minds of mortals... from _our_ minds... from existence. Maybe the peaceful age of mammals that has come about has been due to the removal of Calamity from our midst."

Serendipity cringed. "...So- if- if one of us goes too far..."

"Can you see why I'm worried, Serendipity?" Karma's muzzle scrunched up in distress. "I... I wouldn't want something like that to happen again."

"H-hey," Serendipity shrugged. "I mean, at least if I went away you wouldn't remember it, huh?" She grinned sadly, but her mouth trembled.

"Do you think I'd _want_ that?" Karma asked anxiously. "Please, Serendipity... _please_ be careful."

"C-c'mon," Serendipity struggled to smile more genuinely, "I just- I did something subtle. Just because I helped Lionheart with the _idea_ for the Mammal Inclusion Initiative doesn't mean it will be passed into law. Just because it might become law doesn't mean Judy will become a police officer. And- and Zootopia's a big place. Our exemplars might never even meet."

"One little change, Serendipity," Karma warned. "Chaos theory... it starts a chain reaction. Let's not... let's not invite calamity by provoking it."

"Ah, but Calamity doesn't exist anymore!" Serendipity pointed at Karma as if she had caught her in a trap. The bunny laughed nervously as she floated there. The two exchanged an uncomfortable gaze.

"I..." Karma huffed in amusement. She shook her head. "You know, I could be wrong. Maybe in past times mammals just made up a Celestial that didn't exist, and we just somehow didn't manage to notice it. Maybe I'm concerned over nothing."

"I'll be more careful, Karma," Serendipity smiled faintly. "There- there has to be a _reason_ that all of us know that we aren't supposed to interfere, but we don't know exactly _why_. Maybe- maybe you're onto something."

"Our actions will always come around to us," Karma said with a tired certainty. "That's the way of things."

"Well, if I made a mistake, that just means you'll come around to scold me, huh?" Serendipity giggled. "Like you have right now. So maybe everything's good now, huh? Huh?" The bunny Celestial seemed to brighten up by shades as she flitted around Karma.

"I hope so, Serendipity," Karma formed a tentative smile. "I really do."


	7. An Approaching Challenger

It was exciting news that Acceleration hoped would usher in an exciting time. Judy Hopps had gotten into the Zootopia Police Academy! Acceleration was fleet of foot as his paws tore across the Celestial Realm. He was going to tell everyone, and he first started with Growth's Grove.

"Whoa, really?" Replied Growth, getting up from reclining with Phantasm.

"This should be a good story..." Phantasm said with quiet mirth, also rising.

The two saw a red flash as he made his way over to Fortitude's Bastion, where two other Celestials were hanging out. The two winced as they saw a blue blur.

"Acceleration!" Fervor exclaimed as he noticed the visitor, his arms out. The wolverine Fervor was the Chaos Celestial of passion, and his fiery-red and charcoal fur could come alight if he got worked up. He was known for flying about when this happened.

"Karma's exemplar has been enrolled into the Zootopia Police Academy!" Acceleration's smooth voice proclaimed with enthusiasm.

"No way!" Fervor pumped his fists, a single burst of flame gushing off of him. "That's incredible!"

"She'll have some big challenges to overcome!" Fortitude nodded, his deep, assured voice seeming to thrum through the air. Fortitude was a rather large rhino Celestial, and his hide was that of a silvery metallic alloy.

With that, Acceleration was off again. Turn by turn he told every Celestial.

"Wagh!" Serendipity was swept through the air by the burst of speed from the incoming cheetah. She rapidly pawed at the air to try to regain her balance as she went spiraling past Karma. The wolf-like celestial made a halfhearted attempt to snap her out of the air with her mouth, but she missed.

"Sorry! I thought you especially would like to know, Karma..." Acceleration had a big grin. "Judy Hopps is enrolled in the Zootopia Police Academy."

"Ooh!" Serendipity looked delighted, her eye-shines sparkling. Karma gave her a blank look, and her expression became more quizzical. "I mean, that seems... surprising!"

"So, her circle begins," Karma said, closing her eyes and smiling, then opening them with an intense look. "Let's see if she can complete it."

* * *

The Zootopia Police Academy's obstacle courses were clearly not built with an animal as small as a bunny in mind. Time after time, the young, spunky gray bunny failed each physical challenge thrown her way.

"Aie!" Fervor shook his claws as he saw Judy fall into the mud from an astral window. "Come on, bunny! Give it your all!"

"I think she _is_ , Fervor," Drive looked down upon the scene with concern. "It really doesn't seem like her path has been cut out for her..."

"There are physical limits to what a rabbit can achieve," Fortitude said gravely. He shook his head. "I'm rooting for you, little bunny. You get up there and show them what you can do."

"There's no limit to the power of the spirit!" Fervor said, alighting himself and spiraling into the air. "Defy your physical limits!"

These three Celestials were especially interested in Judy's goal, and watched her progress, or lack thereof, with great intensity. She endured criticism after criticism, defeat after defeat.

"Don't give up, don't give in!" Fortitude bellowed his encouragement as a halfhearted punch from a mortal rhino threw Judy across a boxing ring.

"Her fire cannot be doused this easily!" Fervor shook his head in determination as Judy slipped into a toilet bowl that was far too large for her.

"I think you're being a little over-dramatic," Drive smirked. "Judy is set upon her path... I believe she just has to take a different byroad to get there."

"What do you mean?" Fortitude tilted his head up.

"Look at her," Drive said. "She's tiny. Comparatively weak, though strong for a bunny. She's near her physical limit; Judy will have to fight smarter, not better."

Judy barely even rested when the lights were off. She did physical drills and studied the police procedural material simultaneously.

"That's it, small one!" Fervor clenched a fist. "Knowledge is power, and _you_ are powerful, girl!"

"Rise up, bunny," Fortitude stamped one foot solidly, causing a rumble. "Become the change you need to see yourself through to the end!"

Drive shook her head as she rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile. "I always get a headache when I hang out with you two."

The ability to defy expectations seemed burned into Judy Hopps from a young age, and even though she had the Celestials of goals, strength, and passion cheering her on, she still surprised them with how she was able to turn around her fortunes.

"Wow... I can barely believe it," Fortitude blinked. "She made valedictorian!"

"All that effort was not wasted," Drive smiled. "Karma must be proud... Judy is well on her way to achieving a deserved respect for small mammals."

Fervor, who looked about ready to burst, flew up into the air and did just that, exuding a flare of fiery energy. " _Yes_! You've done it, rabbit! Now, go!" He thrust one claw out. "Go to Zootopia and _consume_ it with your fiery brand of justice!"

"Not literally, please," Drive added with a wink.

" _Figuratively_!" Fervor added with a hearty laugh. Fortitude and Drive did too. The bunny exemplar had enchanted many of the Celestials, and her future seemed very bright.

* * *

Karma found herself again in Serendipity's Parlor, sniffing around for the bunny Celestial in her piles of astral treasures. A mixture of worry and excitement flowed through Karma as she searched for Serendipity.

"Hiya!" Serendipity exclaimed, appearing with a poof right before Karma's eyes. She was rather purposefully wearing Judy Hopps' own colors.

"Hn!" Karma flinched. "Serendipity...!"

"Looking for me?" Serendipity said with a jovial flair, starting to float about.

"I was merely..." Karma looked about nervously. "I was merely admiring your astral treasure."

"Oh, yeah, _right_ ," Serendipity smirked, briefly changing into Karma's magenta colors and trying to lower her pitch to match Karma's. She folded her paws and made a 'holier-than-thou' expression. "'Pointless trinkets that have no worth in the Celestial Realm'!"

"Well, I have said that before, and I still- well, it's still _true_ ," Karma tried not to meet the color copycat's eyes. "However..." Karma looked over the piles of treasures, crowns, scepters, cups, gems and coins. "They _are_ nice to look at."

"And here I thought we could never understand each other," Serendipity took on Judy's colors again, kicking back in the air by Karma's line of sight.

"...Just checking to make sure you were still here," Karma said with a quiet sincerity.

"Whatcha mean...?" Serendipity's colors washed out and she became white.

"You know," Karma said distantly. "Those 'worries' I shared with you."

"Oh, right," Serendipity nodded. "Yup, still here..." The bunny giggled faintly.

"Judy will shortly be leaving for Zootopia," Karma said, the statuesque canid standing tall on all fours, looking official. "Fortune seems to have favored her."

"I swear I haven't done anything else," Serendipity gave a meek, toothy grin, shrugging her shoulders.

"I believe you," Karma smirked. "Maybe there's something to bunnies being born lucky after all. I suppose we shall soon see if the Mammal Inclusion Initiative will protect her from the harsh realities of Zootopia."

"Harsh realities?" Serendipity repeated, her face becoming quizzical. "Zootopia's the most acceptin' place in the whole world!"

"And yet still plagued with injustice," Karma sighed, opening some astral windows to view a few instances of bullying that were happening right that moment. "I don't dare to hope that Judy will bring the change that could bring that justice to Zootopia."

"Why not?" Serendipity blinked. "As your exemplar-"

"-She's _still_ a mortal, and still has the limitations inherent with being a bunny," Karma explained solidly. "Lionheart's mandate will not save her from prejudice or injustice. I... with what happened with Nick... I _expect_ injustice to find her, and swiftly."

"Really..." Serendipity considered with a note of wonder. "Well... maybe everything'll be okay anyway. Wanna rub my feet for luck?" Serendipity kicked back again and wiggled her feet and toes.

"As far as 'luck' goes, Serendipity..." Karma scoffed with a wry grin, tossing her head back at her as she left the parlor, "you shouldn't push yours."

"Aw," Serendipity clicked her tongue and slashed a paw through the air.

* * *

Surrender's Sanctum, despite being in the Celestial Realm, appeared much like the sky. It was slowly, but constantly changing color to reflect the different natures of the sky, both in the day and night time. Surrender himself was often found here, his eyes closed in thought, meditation, or rest. It was often hard to tell which. The ram Order Celestial's "wool" looked ethereal and cloud-like. Wisps of it came loose as he sensed Acceleration zoom into his home.

"Hey, Surrender!" Acceleration said. "Got some news for you."

"Go on," Surrender said sleepily, opening his eyes. Again, this was hard to tell; his pupils were so flat, and his face fur so white, that it looked like his eyes were closed even when they were open.

"Judy Hopps is heading to Zootopia today!" Acceleration said cheerfully. "Soon she will be a part of the Zootopia Police Department!"

"...Interesting," Surrender replied in his tired, gentle-sounding voice. He stood up on his four feet, and his golden spiral horns vibrated with a dull ring, opening an astral window. He saw the train carrying Judy Hopps moving toward the large city of Zootopia. "A third exemplar moves to Zootopia. Three is the completion, it is the binding, as Karma would say."

"That's right," Acceleration nodded. "...Uh, does that mean anything important?"

"Karma's own exemplar," Surrender observed. "The avatar of justice moves to Zootopia. Will she meet with the avatar of happenstance? Will they be enough?"

"Enough for what?" Acceleration wondered.

Surrender did not reply, and instead merely closed the astral window he was peering through.

Acceleration's colorful pupils made an ellipses pattern across his eyes as he waited to either be explained to or dismissed. When neither happened, his tail whipped in impatience. "Ah, I don't know if you've ever really said who your own exemplar was."

Surrender turned to face Acceleration, looking up at the larger Celestial. He seemed to consider seriously before answering, although it also looked like he was spacing out.

"...Exemplars," Surrender said finally. "I've often wondered what their purpose was. I can accept their existence, as I can accept anything given enough time and information." Surrender's cloudy wool flowed more turbulently and started to darken, as if a storm cloud. "I have begun to wonder if the exemplars are meant to challenge us."

"The Celestials?" Acceleration returned. "What do you mean?"

"Exemplars are capable of anything a mortal can do," Surrender blinked slowly. "However, when they do what they are driven to do, they underscore just how vastly they can differentiate themselves from us. They can climb the highest mountain, yet they have just as far to fall."

"If I could actually read you, I'd say you were getting worked up," Acceleration's pupils drew question marks in his eyes.

"...I'm finding it difficult to accept my exemplar in this life, Acceleration," Surrender said calmly, though his wool started to boom with thunder. "I'm being tested."

"All right?" Acceleration laughed nervously. "Anything I can do to help?"

"I don't believe so," Surrender replied, laying down again. Slowly, his wool started to look fluffy and white again. "I will be at peace with the nature of things. What will be will be. Karma's exemplar is there. Serendipity's exemplar is there. The pieces are taking their positions on the board."

"For what, though?" Acceleration was intensely curious.

"Through fortunate occurrence, justice will be done," Surrender let out a long, focused breath. "Maybe then, acceptance will fall back into its ordered place in Zootopia. This I will hope for, and this will bring me placation."

"I guess that's all I'm getting out of you today, huh?" Acceleration's heart yearned for more information, but Surrender fell quiet, closing his eyes. The cheetah celestial sped off, and little wisps of white cloudy wool seemed to flit after him as Surrender attempted once more to find peace.


	8. A Potent Alchemy

Karma and Serendipity looked through an astral window. Tension seemed to pass over both of their faces as Judy zipped through Downtown Zootopia, ticketing every car she found violating its parking.

With a vehicle's screech, Judy was alerted to the presence of Nick, who nearly got hit by a truck.

"Goodness, how tightly wound these webs of fate are," Karma narrowed an eye skeptically, tossing Serendipity a brief look. "And how 'fortunate' that your exemplar didn't become a hood ornament."

Serendipity gave a guilty smile and a large shrug. "He's just lucky I guess. ...Sometimes."

"And so they will meet," Karma said with a mysterious zest in her voice as she gazed at the two. The gray bunny had just glimpsed the red fox moving about suspiciously toward an ice cream shop, and decided to follow him. "On Judy's first day on the job, no less."

"Well, uh," Serendipity wrung her paws. "Listen, I didn't have anything to do with it. Judy was racing around ticketing every car she could find to prove herself... and Nick's out on the streets every day, workin' his hustles... so I guess they were bound to meet _eventually_?"

"They're not even soulbound..." Karma looked at Judy trying to locate Nick in the shop. "...Yet, I suppose they _are_ both exemplars. Judy's somewhat misplaced predisposition to be suspicious about fox activities has driven her to tail this fox."

"In her defense, Nick _is_ being sneaky," Serendipity giggled. "He's pulling the ol' 'aw, my son who thinks he's an elephant wants a big elephant-sized pop' scam."

"Judy _fell_ for it?" Karma huffed in amusement. "Amazing... she can be so naive."

"She called him 'articulate'? Ouch," Serendipity winced. "I mean, I know Gideon Grey wasn't 'zactly the best on words, but..."

"Judy's out twenty bucks, so she already got hers," Karma laughed as Nick and Judy separated from each other. "Well! That was fairly harmless." Karma turned tail and began to walk away from Serendipity.

"Karma, do you think Judy _deserves_ to become a 'real cop'?" Serendipity asked Karma. The latter turned her head slowly back toward the bunny Celestial.

"Her goal is noble and her ambition is selfless enough," Karma considered, looking at the ground. "She doesn't want to become a hero... she doesn't want to become an inspiration, she just wants to serve and protect and 'make the world better'. An admirable endeavor... but the fact remains that the Zootopia Police is dominated by large animals... and Judy's strong personality will clash with theirs if she doesn't fall in line."

Serendipity blinked and mulled this over as Karma left.

* * *

As Karma approached her Territory, she blinked in surprise as she saw Serendipity zoom by her.

"Did you forget something, Serendipity?" Karma asked with dry amusement.

"Judy found Nick again!" Serendipity yelped frantically, quickly opening an astral window looking out on Sahara Square. "Look! He and Finnick don't know that Judy is watching them pull their Pawpsicle scam!"

"Huh..." Karma grimaced. "Them meeting together again and so quickly is certainly unexpected, yet isn't it about time Nick's circle came around for all of his little schemes?"

"Isn't it crazy?" Serendipity looked halfway between excited and worried. "I mean- I mean... you and I aren't _doing_ anything, and yet..."

"Fortune and justice seem to flow between them," Karma narrowed her eyes, shaking her head subtly. "It's perplexing; as if the two forces catalyze just by their proximity."

"Judy's pretty lucky that she hasn't been noticed yet by Nick," Serendipity observed as Nick traveled from biome to biome as part of his Pawpsicle hustle.

The two waited with bated breath for Judy to approach Nick after she got all the visual evidence she needed. The bunny approached Nick and confronted him about his little scheme.

"Ugh, here we go," Karma rolled her eyes, smirking. "Bright-eyed, fresh on the force bunny meets seasoned semi-criminal. I wonder how _this_ is going to go."

"He's got all his documentation, lucky for him," Serendipity seemed proud, her hands on her hips as she floated there. "I mean, he _has_ been doing this for a long time."

Karma's jaw dropped as Nick delivered a scathing verbal assault upon Judy. The fox seemed to pull Judy's backstory from thin air and attack her with it, denigrating her and her dreams.

"Whoa..." Serendipity looked awed. "Sorry, Karma. Nick can be kind of a butt sometimes."

"I'd like to believe he was simply projecting his own crushed dreams onto Judy," Karma said distractedly, "but did you see that? He brought around the reality of Judy's situation to her fantasy; he completed a circle. That's pretty unsettling..."

"Mm-maybe you're right, Karma," Serendipity nibbled at her paw. "It's kind of spooky that they can tap into the concept that opposes their 'patrons' so easily."

"Well, after that barrage, I wouldn't think we have to worry about them meeting again," Karma raised an eyebrow.

"But..." Serendipity shook her head. "Nick does have a tenuous connection to that whole business with the predators going savage..."

"Please..." Karma huffed. "Do you know how many coincidences would have to line up for Judy to even get a shot at _investigating_ that case? She's a meter maid. I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"Hey uh, Karma," Serendipity lowered her eyelids. "You _have_ heard of this thing called 'dramatic irony', right? By saying that you basically invite all of those precise things to occur, just to prove you wrong."

"I am aware," Karma smirked. "But oftentimes that's just _you_ messing with people. Since you know what could be at stake, I'm not concerned with you causing trouble in this case."

"I mean, if you say so," Serendipity shrugged, beginning to float off.

"Try to control yourself, Serendipity," Karma chuckled. "And see you later."

* * *

The very next day, Karma heard a commotion coming from a central area in the Celestial Realm, where a lot of Celestials had come to meet and were looking through a very large astral window.

"Go! Go after him!" Fervor shook his clawed fist, fire blazing from it. "That's the stuff, bunny! Don't let him get away! Hey, it's gettin' _good_ now!"

Karma hurried to look into the window. She saw Judy chasing a petty thief. "Wh-what's going on here?"

"Judy has a chance to prove herself!" Fortitude boomed with conviction. "She's chasing a thief; doin' _real_ cop stuff!"

"For Order's sake, it's only been a _day_!" Karma's magenta eyes darted over the wide view of Zootopia as she tried to get her bearings. "What's she... wait a minute, those plants that the thief has stolen... Serendipity!"

The bunny appeared with a poof in front of everyone, fluttering between colors rapidly as she was summoned from Karma's bellow. "What!? Yes!? I didn't do it!"

"Oh no, oh _no_!" Industry clamored. Industry was the mouse Order Celestial of structure, both of personnel and of buildings. "They're headed right for Little Rodentia! I can see property damage in the hundred-thousands! Maybe even millions!"

Karma swallowed nervously. "That fool bunny has become so blinded by her sense of justice that she's barely aware of what she's doing! She's like a ticking time bomb!"

"Definitely a 'bomb' when it comes to Little Rodentia!" Industry fretted, manifesting another body near Karma and rubbing at his temples. Both bodies shrieked as the weasel criminal jumped off the roofs of the rodent buildings, which nearly caused them to fall over. "There's _no way_ those buildings' foundations have been properly constructed! This is going to be a disaster!"

"Judy's doing it!" Fortitude observed, watching Judy's physical struggle with interest. "She prevented the buildings from being damaged!"

"Now they're messing around on the rodent _train line_!?" Industry shouted, forming a third body near the first so the original mouse could collapse into his own arms.

"Aaand now there's a bouncing donut of doom," Serendipity blinked incredulously. "This is starting to seem like one of Phantasm's kookier stories."

Karma drew in a sharp breath as Judy's quick reaction barely spared the life of a shrieking shrew. "This... this has... this has all been _way_ too close!"

"I'm amazed..." all three bodies of Industry said before the two extra ones vanished. "...There's been no disaster, little destruction. Plenty of panic... but all told... yeah, that was extremely fortunate..."

All four Celestial heads turned to look suspiciously at the fifth one, which belonged to Serendipity.

"Hey hey, don't look at me!" Serendipity winced, holding her paws up defensively. "I didn't do a thing! I swear!"

"Serendipity," Karma huffed. "This is all _way_ too coincidental to be sheer chance."

"Maybe it's Nick?" Serendipity shrugged grandiosely, her colors growing pale of out fright. "I mean, he's still in the same... _rough-ish_ area as Judy at the moment... a _bit_ farther away..."

The Celestials all grew quiet as Judy was very nearly fired from her job, but at the last moment an otter burst in and through a contrived set of circumstances, Judy's job was saved. She was placed on a missing mammal case.

"Okay, can we all hold on a second?" Karma sighed in disdain, thrusting her muzzle in the direction of the astral window. "Look at this. The perpetrator of the savage conspiracy, the substance that makes mammals go savage, a secondary victim of the plot, and my exemplar... are _all in the same room together_! Does this only bother _me_!?"

"Uh... ummh..." Serendipity began to drip cyan-colored firework stars like sweat. "I know this seems... like, _completely_ random... but... ngh..." Serendipity suddenly yelped. "Oh friggin' _Chaos_... the case file for Mr. Otterton's last known appearance has a bit of Nick on it!"

"Are you _kidding me_!?" Karma screamed.

"Chaos alive, this is even better than a soap opera!" Fervor chuckled. "I need me some astral popcorn!"

Things seemed to settle down as everyone left the police chief's office.

"Wait a minute, is Judy trying to get Nick's _tax records_?" Fervor's face scrunched in confusion, his fire going out with a hiss. He flicked a claw up dismissively, turning around. "Okay, I'm out. Have Acceleration find me if anything interesting happens." Fervor alighted and flew away, leaving Fortitude to stand there blinking.

"What could she be doing?" Fortitude wondered with narrowed eyes.

"I think she's trying to get something on Nick," Karma guessed. "She feels it unjust that Nick can continue to brazenly 'almost' break the law and is trying to get him over a technicality."

"Hey! That's a 'Karma-y' thing to do..." Serendipity squeaked in a quiet voice.

"If they meet for the third time..." Karma winced. "And it looks like they will... that's the completion, the binding. The two will have their fates tied together."

"Honestly, Karma?" Fortitude huffed. "Of all Celestial beliefs, that one's probably the most mumbo-jumbo of them all."

"You see if I'm wrong, Fortitude," Karma said lowly in warning. "I'm beginning to believe that this... this _mixing_ of exemplars will prove to be a very, _very_ significant event in Zootopia's history."

Karma began to walk away. Serendipity aimlessly followed her, nervously looking back at the astral window as Fortitude and Industry peered into it.

"Karma...?" Serendipity quietly called after the retreating Celestial.

"Mm?" Karma tilted her head in the bunny's direction.

"I'm getting scared," Serendipity winced. "Can I... would it be okay if I came over to your Territory tonight?"

"If you wish," Karma nodded.

"I just..." Serendipity drew in a shaky breath. "My _one_ action was the idea of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative just to give Judy the _chance_ to become a police officer. Now all _this_ has come of it?" Her flight trajectory was wobbly as she nearly bumped into Karma. The wolf-like Celestial paused to look at her. "I knew Chaos theory was powerful, but... I didn't expect all _this_."

Karma felt like telling her some form of "I told you so", but stilled her tongue.

"...I don't want to disappear, Karma..." Serendipity said with a trembling voice.

"Nor do I want you to," Karma said gently. She leaned out with her neck and softly nudged the floating bunny's midsection with her nose. "At the end of the day, these mortals are responsible for their own actions, not you."

"Yh-you sure?" Serendipity blinked, squirming from being nudged.

"I feel like Calamity must have _directly_ interfered with Surrender's exemplar in the past," Karma surmised. "Perhaps that is the only line we may not cross. It's that inborn instinct we all have come to respect and fear. It must have come from somewhere."

"Hoo..." Serendipity wiped some colorful firework stars from her forehead. "That... makes me feel a _little_ better."

"Yes?" Karma smiled. "You still want to stay over at my Territory this evening?"

Serendipity brightened a few shades, both literally and figuratively, and she managed a giggle. "Well, duh."


	9. The Approaching Storm

Serendipity and Karma were both seated in one of the main "viewing areas" for astral windows, near the center of the Celestial Realm. The two looked with intense concern as their exemplars Nick and Judy were working together on the missing mammal case. The two seemed to be making some progress, but were abruptly captured by polar bears that worked for a crime lord.

"Uh oh..." Serendipity fretted, placing her paws on her cheeks. "Nick isn't exactly on good terms with Mr. Big."

"Has he done anything to deserve death?" Karma asked, turning to the bunny, who wasn't finding it in her to float at the moment.

Serendipity's colors became Mr. Big's. "I dunno, he's one of those hard gangster types, so the wrong word at the wrong time could set him off."

The two watched with increasing tension as Mr. Big met with the fox and bunny. Nick seemed to be making some headway in apologizing to him and distracting the arctic shrew from Judy and Nick's activities, when Judy fearlessly stepped in to set the record straight.

"That bunny..." Karma drooped her head. "She just does _not know_ when she should keep her mouth shut."

Serendipity grit her teeth. "Um... something lucky's going to happen; I know it. I've got that feeling again in my ears."

"I thought you said it buzzes almost constantly every time Nick and Judy are close," Karma looked skeptical.

"Well, yeah, but..." Serendipity pointed. "Look- that shrew that Judy saved from the bouncing donut? That's Fru Fru, Mr. Big's daughter, and she's headed right for them."

"How contrived," Karma looked baffled, straightening up, "but I suppose Judy does deserve recompense for her heroic actions."

"See? Felicitous justice; the best kind!" Serendipity giggled nervously, fluttering between different colors and ending up on icy blues. She heard a deliberate, slow movement behind her, then turned to look and yelped at the sight. Destiny was walking slowly toward them, and stood in just the right position so that her skeleton showed. Colorful soul energy swirled through her, with two spheres of it seeming to settle near her eye sockets.

"Hello," Destiny greeted in a low-key voice.

"H-hi, Destiny!" Serendipity waved gregariously. "What's up?"

Karma shot Destiny a wary look as the skeletal head turned toward the two.

"The threads of your exemplars' mortality are being pulled taut," Destiny explained in her dry, authoritative voice. "I thought I would just... wait."

"A bit presumptuous of you," Karma's brow lowered. "Look, due to a joining of happenstance and righteousness, Nick and Judy have survived." Karma actually half-smiled at the particulars of the occurrence, and Serendipity floated off of the ground, looking hopeful.

"Only to plunge themselves deeper into this conflict," Destiny went on, looking through the astral window. "The two keep tugging at this dangerous conspiracy, egged on by its perpetrator. Doom surely awaits them."

"Premature," Karma said dismissively. "I find it hard to believe that _you_ of all Celestials would be here so early for their demise. They both likely have many years ahead of them until they accomplish all of their goals.

Destiny half-turned her head toward Karma, the energy near her eyes seeming to flare up briefly. "I just thought I'd be proactive for a change. Presumably you'd want your exemplars to experience another life sooner rather than later assuming they fail in this one. I thought I'd be doing you two a favor."

Karma fixed a testy look on Destiny while Serendipity continued to rise, becoming a pale bluish-white with pale yellow eyes.

"Hey, listen here, Destiny," Serendipity floated in front of her. "Nick and Judy are _not_ going to die today. They have too much to do! What they're doing is super important, and they're _our_ exemplars, so..."

"What do you think that is supposed to mean?" Destiny gently turned her head to look at the bunny floating in front of her unsettling visage. "One of the most recent exemplars on Earth was Acceleration's. He became one of the first predator newscasters."

"See?" Serendipity threw her arms out. "That means Nick can't die unless he does something _really_ surprising-"

"Oh, can't he now?" Destiny asked evenly. "My point was that an exemplar isn't 'bound' to be anything special. He was only the _third_ predator news reporter. What mortal remembers the 'third' of anything? The tangle of the fabric of life can still choke out even the most promising threads, or they can just drag on continuously without true purpose."

Nick and Judy's lives were imperiled several times on that night. They nearly fell to their death twice, and Karma and Serendipity audibly gasped each time they evaded their doom.

"Hmhmhm..." Destiny gently laughed. "Nick _must_ have that natural luck you believe he has, Serendipity. Either that or Growth or Industry could be messing with the vines..."

"Nick is protecting Judy with his luck," Serendipity nodded, "just like Judy protected Nick with her karma."

"She seems to be _endangering_ him with it as well," Destiny noted, turning slightly and her form appearing over her skeleton again. "I still feel the tension on their cords. I should remain... just in case."

"Is that just because they're so high up in the canopy?" Karma asked wryly. She blinked as she saw Fertility approach the three Celestials. She took small hops over, looking up at the large astral window curiously. Karma glanced over at her. "What brings you here, Fertility?"

"I noticed a sudden change in the feelings between your exemplars," Fertility noticed. At the time, Nick was scolding Chief Bogo, who towered over the fox. "What happened? He seems to have figured out why Judy's been so oppressed in the workforce."

"Judy saved Nick's life," Serendipity smiled. "So I guess he felt the least he could do would be to save her job, right Karma?"

"Maybe there's more to it than that," Karma said, her face unsure. She watched the fox and bunny enter a gondola and Nick began to open up to her.

"Oh..." Fertility blinked with interest. "He's opening up about his past. He's never really done that for anyone before, has he, Serendipity?"

"Nope," Serendipity shook her head. "Maybe he's starting to feel something for Judy?"

"Near-death experiences can severely rattle mortals," Destiny explained. "Perhaps Nick is just opening up because he fears that no one will hear his story."

"There's a tenderness there, though," Fertility nodded decisively. "Judy is proving that her experiences with foxes in her past don't completely dominate her thought about them." The fluffy bunny tilted her head and groaned in disappointment when Nick pulled away from Judy's gentle touch to his arm. "Aww... moment over. Nick's defenses were down and now they're rapidly coming back up."

"Do you _still_ feel the tension on their lives, Destiny?" Serendipity asked anxiously.

"It's still there," Destiny confirmed. "Keep in mind that they are going to the perpetrator of this fiasco for help. Surrender's exemplar."

At this statement, all three of the other Celestials around her looked at Destiny in shock.

"Oh, did I fail to mention that to anyone?" Destiny almost looked sheepish.

"Dawn Bellwether is Surrender's _exemplar_!?" Karma voiced the obvious question.

"That's... certainly _surprising_!" Serendipity scratched her head. "But it makes no _sense_! Surrender's all about acceptance and tolerance and basically just... well, 'surrendering' to whatever comes your way. Dawn... well, she wants to control the city and demonize predators!"

"As I keep saying, mortals have their own free will," Destiny sighed. "Maybe Dawn's form of 'acceptance' is getting everyone to 'accept' her twisted viewpoints. She had a difficult life, and those experiences may have colored her traditionally Order trait."

"Or, perhaps her soul still has a remnant of Calamity festering within it," Karma growled as Nick and Judy talked to Dawn in a cramped office.

"Ah yes, this 'theory' of yours," Destiny rolled her eyes.

"A troubling one," Fertility nodded. "The idea that Calamity might have existed and doesn't any longer."

Karma's jaw slightly dropped as she looked between the giraffe and the fluffier bunny. "Wait. I haven't told anyone but Serendipity."

"I didn't tell anyone," Serendipity shrugged.

"You 'haven't done' a _lot_ of things lately, or so you claim," Karma accused with an almost playful sternness.

Destiny began to look alarmed. "...No, Serendipity's right. I heard the theory from Karma. Something about the Book of the Lamb, if I'm right?"

"I remember it too..." Fertility considered. "I don't... don't really remember how it came up, though. It feels like it was a long, long time ago."

"I... vaguely remember telling you two, but I can't really remember the circumstances-" Karma's eyes went wide as she cut herself off. "Hh- has this happened before?"

"What, does Calamity keep showing up and vanishing, you mean?" Serendipity asked. "And... somehow taking our memories of him with him?"

"No," Karma crept back in a defensive posture. "...Has a Celestial vanished before Calamity? Have I found the evidence that Calamity existed as an example or a warning... and then keep showing it to other people, only to forget because those Celestials no longer exist?"

"I'm- this is getting a bit confusing," Fertility looked upset. "Why is it only _you_ who seems to be able to figure out what happened to Calamity?"

"Karma is very adept at connecting circles and finding the way of things," Destiny declared. "It could be that she's right."

"Is it the exemplars?" Karma asked quietly. "Do they have the power to destroy us?"

"Or is it like you said earlier?" Serendipity added. "When a Celestial goes beyond their bounds and thus they're no longer needed... they're just _gone_?"

"A sobering and worrying possibility..." Destiny mumbled. "If mammals could no longer die, or they were _all_ dead... what use would there be for Destiny? ...Is this process by which exemplars come to be some sort of... winnowing process? Perhaps to filter out nonessential Celestials?"

Serendipity and Karma looked at each other in horror.

"I suppose we might soon find out," Destiny adjusted her stance to appear as a skeleton again as Nick and Judy were once more found out by their adversaries. The two nearly died when they both went over a waterfall.

"Hmhm, I think that's the first time he called her by name, and when he was desperate," Fertility almost smiled. "...Cute."

"The tension seems to have passed," Destiny noted, appearing as her furred form once more. "I thought they were done for that time."

Leodore Lionheart was taken into custody, as he had all of the savage mammals locked up both for their safety and to keep the incident secret.

"Dawn's scapegoat," Destiny observed. "Everything went exactly as well as it could have... for Dawn. She can spin this in the way she most wants, with no one to stand against her."

"Judy is deluded into thinking Leodore was the real culprit," Karma frowned. "And while kidnapping the affected mammals was wrong, Leodore is innocent of the main charge."

"How sweet," Fertility smiled as Judy offered Nick the idea to become her partner, along with the pen that she had been keeping him "hostage" with. "Perhaps chance and justice can work well together after all." Karma and Serendipity shot each other a wary look.

"But, but- now Judy's supposed to speak about the case?" Serendipity looked very worried. "That... that doesn't seem like such a good idea to me. I'm definitely getting an- um- whatever the _opposite_ of my lucky vibes are."

"No, it doesn't seem wise," Karma agreed, sneering. "Judy still has those subconscious thoughts and fears about predators rolling around in her head. They've been validated to her throughout her life, by her parents; even by that badger doctor they recently eavesdropped on. Her logical conclusion may just-"

Judy spoke to the crowd, and the color seemed to drain right out of Serendipity. She became dim and the sparkle in her eyes shrunk.

"Oh no..." Karma and Serendipity breathed out, nearly in unison. The speech seemed to get worse and worse, with mammals muttering and murmuring about Judy's claims.

"Dawn tries to reassure Judy that she did 'fine'?" Fertility seemed disgusted. "In spite of all the damage those words will do?"

After the conference, Judy rushed over to Nick to ask how she did. Nick, who was hurt and angry, calmly exposed the bias in Judy's actions and challenged her views.

"She's defending herself?" Serendipity began to panic, floating near Karma's face. "Karma, _help her_!"

"I can't interfere with her free will, you know that!" Karma shook her head. "And- and Judy deserves this in some ways... she deserves to see that her preconceptions about predators are wrong."

"Their relationship is about to snap, Karma," Fertility said sadly. "If you do nothing, it surely will."

"Can't you give her an _idea_ on how to bring this back around?" Serendipity squinted her eyes, becoming Karma's colors. "Anything? Please?"

Karma looked between the Celestials and the mortals, seeming to fumble for the right words to say. As soon as it had started, it was over, and Nick stormed out of the police station.

"Karma...!" Serendipity became completely colorless. "Ngh..." Serendipity flew off swiftly, an upset look on her face.

"Even inaction is an action," Destiny said succinctly, starting to walk away. "Perhaps a well-placed idea there would have mitigated some of the damage done."

"That's such a shame," Fertility frowned, also turning to hop away. "They would have made a really cute little duo. I have to prepare for all of the damage that Judy's words will have caused to families around Zootopia. Bye, Karma." Fertility waved a paw then hopped off.

"Of course..." Karma said wearily, squinting her eyes shut. "Ugh, the _damage_..." Karma thought about the consequences of Judy's actions and how she opened a circle for many, many other mammals. This kind of power, she figured, must be the true power of an exemplar. But with Dawn's goading, it was used to instigate Chaos, not Order.

Karma kept her eyes shut as she heard a faint rumbling. When she opened her eyes again, she flinched at the appearance of a large black bear Celestial. A wreath of fire flared around his neck, his eyes randomly crackled with cyan lightning, and his final steps toward the astral window caused rumbles through the ground. This was Paradigm, Chaos Celestial of harsh change.

"Paradigm..." Karma breathed out. "You're up?"

"The lives of many predators and prey alike will change because of this day," Paradigm said in a deep, rich voice. "I must be here to accept the prayers of concerned mammals as they pray to their deities. I will attempt to send them some measure of mental peace in the difficult times that are to come."

"Judy..." Karma winced, but then looked up at Paradigm, determined, "she will fight against her own actions. She will seek to repair the damage done. Now that- now that she understands where she was wrong... she will work to make things right."

"A mere mortal cannot hold back a storm, can they?" Paradigm asked solidly. "Zootopia faces a new social catastrophe, and I doubt very much that one little bunny could again reverse its fortunes."

Karma gave a resigned whine and walked away slowly. She looked back at Paradigm with a desperate look; he was fixated intensely on the bubbling news stories about Judy's press conference. Karma had no idea what to do.

* * *

Some time had passed. Karma lay alone in her Territory. Despite all the subtle encouragement and even hopeful dreams Karma tried to send Judy, it was not enough. Judy began to heavily blame herself for all of the disasters happening in Zootopia. Every time she saw an oppressed predator, she felt guilty, and the problem with predators turning savage was only worsening. She found herself somehow to blame for all that, too. Finally, Judy was offered the chance to be the poster mammal for the ZPD by Mayor Dawn Bellwether, but turned it down in disgust, gave up on her dream, and went home.

Karma sighed heavily. It was just as Nick told the little bunny, though with a set of circumstances he couldn't have predicted.

Industry approached Karma, an anxious look on his small mouse face.

"Hey Karma," Industry greeted. "Well, it's been three months, and Zootopia is still in social disorder. The structure of the social norms threatens to buckle further with every day."

"Indeed," Karma said with a forceful, though glum voice.

"But you're going to fix it somehow, aren't you?" Industry pointed a paw at Karma. "Judy made the mistake, now she needs to fix it, right? That would be justice."

"What would you have me do, Industry?" Karma groaned. "Judy has given up. Her spirit is very strong, but not indomitable. Would you have me reveal to her the source of her woes in a vision? That would be awfully 'serendipitous' of me to do, wouldn't it? Wouldn't you be better off asking _her_?"

"N-no, you shouldn't do anything that overt, but..." Industry walked around, attempting to think. "Hey, why don't you talk to Surrender? See if you can get anything from him about Dawn? Then maybe a solution to this mess will reveal itself!"

Karma gave a dispassionate groan, looking away from Industry. The mouse looked at her expectantly, then slowly looked determined.

"Okay, I suppose I'll just have to take matters into my own paws," Industry said, suddenly becoming a large swarm of bodies. He advanced on Karma and lifted her up with innumerable tiny hands.

"Wh-what!?" Karma sputtered. "Industry!"

"Something must be _done_ , Karma," several of Industry's voices claimed. "I can't bear to see one of the worlds most structured cities keep falling further into disarray."

"I can walk myse- whoa...!" Karma braced herself as she was placed on Industry's tiny backs and shuffled rapidly to Surrender's Sanctum.

Industry made all of his bodies except for one vanish, and Karma dropped a few inches to the ground with a tiny "oof".

"Just talk to him, okay Karma?" Industry shrugged.

"Very well," Karma said, walking into Surrender's Sanctum. Surrender was there, and to Karma's bewilderment he actually seemed at peace; his cloudy fur fluffy white and flowing. Karma cleared her throat and approached.

"Yes...?" Surrender asked in a tired voice.

"You seem fairly relaxed for the calamity that your exemplar has caused!" Karma accused, lifting up a paw to gesture at the ram.

"Calamity, hm?" Surrender slowly opened his eyes. "I have heard of your rumors and theories to that effect. The Celestials are all talking about them now. They are disquieting, to be sure."

"So, what do you think?" Karma asked him sternly. "Do you think that Dawn somehow- does she have some sort of shadowy remnant? Some little _piece_ of Calamity still lurking inside her? Some residual effect from whatever happened to her soul in the past?"

"All of that is speculation that I will not partake in," Surrender stood up on all fours and looked wearily at Karma. "Let us focus on what _is_. Whether or not any of what you say is true, Dawn has brought Chaos to Zootopia, using the other two exemplars as pawns in her game."

"And you want me to fix that?" Karma sneered.

"No, I want you to accept it," Surrender said calmly, "as I finally have."

"What...?" Karma's eyes narrowed in disgust and she turned her head slightly away from him. "How can you accept that your own exemplar, who should stand for acceptance and tranquility, has brought intolerance and disorder to Zootopia!?"

"Because of the conundrum of mortal free will," Surrender said, looking at the floor. "A mammal is as capable of the opposite of what we expect from them as what is likely. That... and it completes a cycle, does it not?"

"What sort of cycle-?" Karma began to ask, then cut herself short with a gasp.

"Yes, that's right..." Surrender looked grave. "My exemplar has now both brought predator and prey together and driven them apart, in separate lives. In one, she brought Order, and in another Chaos. In a way, is that not balance? Is that not the circle of completion? As sure as a rotation of the Earth contains both day and night, so too can a single soul contain the brightest light and the deepest darkness."

Karma looked at a loss for works, then she steeled herself, crouching down slightly.

"If _that_ is justice," Karma declared in a voice of tranquil anger, "then perhaps the Earth would be better off without it."

Surrender's eyes widened dramatically. "Karma? What are you saying?" In response to this, Karma merely turned tail and fled, running past a bewildered Industry who was still standing at the entrance of the Sanctum. Surrender moved quickly to the edge of his Sanctum and called out to the fleeing Celestial. "What are you doing, Karma!?"

Karma's answer was full of a cold conviction. "What must be done."


	10. The Celestial Showdown

The ground seemed to fly by as Karma launched herself through the expanse. Her Territory was quite far away, and her mind was racing as fast as her feet.

A surge of flame swirled in front of Karma, giving her pause as the flare took shape into a floating wolverine Celestial.

"Fervor, this is not the time!" Karma shouted. Turning her head, she saw the rhino Celestial Fortitude taking heavy steps toward the two.

"Hey there, Karma!" Fervor exulted with an uneasy grin. "Couldn't help but notice you had quite a sudden surge of conviction and passion burst from you a few moments ago!"

Karma growled at the wolverine, who kept floating as to block her path. "Yes, and I need to get _to_ that, so-"

"Fortitude!" Fervor shouted.

"Hrup!" Fortitude lowered his metallic horn and caught Karma under the midsection, lifting her up so she lay across the bridge of his snout.

"Wrgh!?" Karma flailed her limbs, which found no purchase on Fortitude's smooth, metallic form. "Release me!"

"Not until you tell us what you're up to, Karma babe," Fervor shook a claw then folded his paws. "Inner strength and conviction are _our_ areas. So, you need something done, just let us know and we'll get right on that. Promise."

"It's nothing you could do!" Karma spat, trying to free herself once again, but Fortitude kept altering the angle of his head to make the task difficult.

"Try us, Karma," Fortitude said in a casual voice as he thwarted her escape efforts.

Karma turned her head to look at Fortitude in one of his eyes. "It's nothing a _Chaos_ Celestial could do."

Fervor twisted his mouth into a frown. "Oh, is it going to be like that?"

Karma glared at Fervor. "I'm sure you two must be loving this. With the disorder running rampant in Zootopia, it gives mammals so many opportunities to show their inner strength; to fight against the oppression."

"Now wait a second," Fortitude frowned. "We may enjoy when mortals get to show their determination and strength, but we also agree that the balance has been pushed too far the wrong way."

"Zootopia's the beacon for all of the mammalian world," Fervor agreed. "If this situation isn't resolved, the rippling effect could bring hardship to other parts of the planet as well."

"Which is exactly why that 'beacon' needs to be fixed," Karma hissed.

Fervor held out his claws in a fierce fashion. "What exactly are you intending to do, Karma?"

"I will set things right," Karma declared with a bold voice. "I will bring balance to both of our worlds!"

"What...?" Fervor piqued an eyebrow.

"Hrah!" Karma thrust her hind legs against Fortitude's forehead, pushing forward. Thrusting her forepaws downward against his muzzle, she flipped over his horn and landed on the ground between Fervor and Fortitude.

"What the-?" Fortitude blinked.

"By justice be bound!" Karma declared, slamming her forepaws on the ground and drawing two small magenta circles on it with her paws. The circles chased after Fortitude and Fervor and expanded beneath them, creating shafts of magenta light. Fervor pressed his claws against the column around him, finding it solid.

"Aha!" Fervor grinned adventurously. "You want a challenge, do you?" Fervor spun around in place and began to channel searing fire into his claws. "That's what we're all about, sister!" He started to slash at the column wildly with his claws.

"This won't stop us for long, Karma," Fortitude warned, thrashing his head against his prison. Shortly thereafter, both columns quickly began to buckle, cracking under the assaults.

"No, but long enough," Karma said, then turned around and began to run.

"What's she going to do, Fervor?" Fortitude paused his thrashing.

"One way to find out..." Fervor shook a paw, his claws vibrating, then drew in a huge breath to increase his volume. " _ACCELERATION_!"

Karma drew in a tight breath as she heard Fervor's call. It wouldn't be long before the cheetah would be on her. She hastened her pace; her Territory drew near.

Acceleration pulled up beside Karma, matching her pace with minimal effort.

"Hi, Karma," Acceleration greeted in a friendly voice. "So... um, what's all this about, then?"

"No servant of Chaos is going to stop me," Karma grunted in determination. "So you might as well not try."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Acceleration rapidly blinked his colorful pupils. "Uh, stop you from _what_ , exactly?"

"Bringing balance to this world," Karma said, willing herself to go even faster. Acceleration did not relent, again easily matching her speed.

"How do you intend to do that?" Acceleration wondered. Karma shot him a dirty look, but his pupils drew question marks. "C'mon, Karma, it's my job to bring the news."

"It won't matter if I tell you or not," Karma stated. "When I'm through, you won't be able to recall any of it anyway."

Acceleration actually halted, stunned. Karma looked over her shoulder at him to regard him. His pupils drew ellipses, then quickly morphed into exclamation points, and with a red flash, he was gone in the opposite direction.

Karma breathed out in relief as she finally came upon her Territory. She hastily threw open an astral window and saw Judy, her exemplar, looking despondent at one of her parents' carrot stands.

"She stands mere feet from the source of Zootopia's woes," Karma observed. "Her sense of justice must be rekindled." Karma drew in a deep breath. "And I shall personally guide her."

Karma began to circle the entire circumference of her Territory three times. After the third revolution, she began to pace three different circles that intersected the Territory and created a small untouched space in the very center of her area. After she traversed the final circle, the ground on the untouched section of the pattern cracked open with a terrible whine and became a swirling portal.

Bracing herself, Karma began to walk toward the portal.

"May this world find justice," Karma sighed. "Even if I am not here to provide it."

Karma bowed, then leaped for the middle of the portal.

" _GUH_!"

A sudden impact struck Karma in the side and she flew away from the portal, crashing into the ground off to the side.

"Who...!?" Karma looked around. Floating next to her was a very grim looking Serendipity. The floating bunny's colors swirled with royal purple, and she had blazing yellowish pupils. "Of course... I should have known."

"Karma!" Serendipity yelled. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"None of your concern!" Karma lunged upward from her position and swung her head, catching Serendipity in the side and tossing the bunny Celestial away from her. Karma began to gallop for the portal once more.

Serendipity gasped and gestured forward with her paw. "Rgh!"

A fierce, colorful firework exploded right in front of the portal, sending Karma flying backward again. She hit the ground hard and tumbled across it from the force. The stars of the firework made her fur sizzle as it reconstituted itself.

"Serendipity..." Karma growled. "Of course _you_ would be my final obstacle. It only makes sense."

"Final obstacle?" Serendipity looked frightened. "What are you _talking_ about!?"

"This world is falling to Chaos," Karma stated, rising to her feet once more. "And it's in Chaos because of me. Because of _my_ trek through the Garden of Souls, because of the exemplar I sent there."

"What!? No!" Serendipity shook her head rapidly. "I have an exemplar too! You can't blame yourself...!"

"There are more Order Celestials than there are of Chaos," Karma said darkly. "There are more Order exemplars than there are of Chaos. An imbalance! The nature of things is to rebel against imbalance! The void must be filled! The scales must weigh evenly! The physical world has begun to tip into Chaos because of the imbalance of Order in the Celestial Realm!"

"Karma," Serendipity's brow furrowed. "I've had just about enough of your crazy theories."

"I am going through that portal to Earth," Karma said resolutely. "And you are not going to stop me. I will help show Judy the path. And if, as I expect, that is beyond my allowance... then I will be no more."

"No!" Serendipity shrieked, her colors growing pale yellow. "You can't!"

"Don't be so distraught, Serendipity," Karma held her head up high. "Once I am gone, you won't remember me."

"You- you think I _want_ that!?" Serendipity screeched. "Nh-no... no!" Serendipity panicked, rapidly flashing colors. Karma began to walk forward with purpose, and Serendipity rushed to her side and grabbed on, trying to stop her. Karma merely shook her off.

"This is how it had to be," Karma let a breath out slowly, finding calm within herself. "You stopped me twice. The third time is the completion. _My_ completion. I will complete my final circle... and then maybe the world will know peace and balance once more."

Serendipity frantically flew toward the portal and hovered mere inches from its mouth, her fur becoming blazing oranges and reds and her eyes shining with conviction.

"No!" Serendipity held up a paw. "I will stop you again, and your final _failure_ will be the _end_ of this nonsense!"

"Serendipity...!" Karma barked. "Move!"

Serendipity did not budge, and Karma found herself pausing. She'd never seen the little bunny Celestial with such a fiercely determined look on her face. It was rather unsettling; as if she was tapping into the primal force of Chaos itself. Karma almost found it difficult to put one paw in front of the other.

"That's right," Serendipity said coldly. "You won't risk me being pushed into the portal as well, will you? It'd upset your precious 'balance'!"

Karma grit her teeth, growling at her loudly. "Do you think mortals care for my designs? Do you think they understand or think it 'just' when I'm driven to punish them in one life for their crimes in the previous one? Mortals do not have the sight for my kind of justice. They denigrate my very existence! 'Karma's such a bitch, isn't she!?' The world would be better off without it. Without _me_!"

Serendipity shook her head. "This world will have karma, and it will have serendipity. Stand down."

"Serendipity... you can't stop me," Karma grit her teeth. "I know you want me to stay... but don't worry, your pain will vanish the moment I do."

" _NO_!" Serendipity screamed. "Chaos, give me your might!" Serendipity rose into the air, then gathered strength into all four of her paws. Tossing a glowing sphere toward the ground from her paws, it burst open into innumerable crackling firework explosions. The meeting between the power of Chaos and the portal of Order destabilized both of them, and caused a huge surge of bright energy in all directions that made Karma close her eyes, gasping in pain. The force washed over her as she dug in with her claws to stand her ground. When she opened her eyes, the portal was gone.

"S-Serendipity...?" Karma looked around, but didn't see any trace of the bunny. " _Serendipity!_ Did she- did she go through the portal before it was destroyed? Nh- no. _No!_ I have to..." Karma jerked her head left and right frantically. "I've got to make another one and go after her before she-"

"Boo," Serendipity blurted, poofing into existence right next to Karma's ear. She wore bright pink colors with sky blue eyes.

"Gyagh!" Karma flinched away from her. "Serendipity...! This is no time for your games!"

"No, you're right," Serendipity's brow fell. "It's time for you to stop being a dumb puppy and start _listening_ to me."

"...What do you have to say?" Karma asked cautiously.

Serendipity floated circles around Karma, ending up near her face. "You're being so hasty, Karma. ...Can't you give our exemplars a chance to work things out themselves?"

Karma sighed, a disappointed look crossing over her face. "Serendipity. It's been three months. They are two hundred miles apart. Judy doesn't realize the colloquial name for the plant that causes savagery is 'Night Howler'. Without any sort of intervention, there will be no way to reignite Judy's drive."

"I dunno, Karma," Serendipity opened an astral window, looking at her talking to her parents. "My Serendipity sense is tingling awful hard."

"Did you forget that she's _my_ exemplar?" Karma huffed. "The two are so far apart... and unless _you_ intervene, which I can't have you do... how is a lucky occurrence going to..." Karma shook her head. "Nothing will draw them back together, Serendipity. They are not soulbound."

Serendipity nodded slowly. "Maybe. But we are."

Karma felt a chill pass through her fur and gawked at Serendipity, who was still looking through the astral window. Karma felt her mouth move, but no words came out. After a cough, she finally spoke again. "Wh-what did you say...?"

Serendipity coyly tilted her head in Karma's direction. "What, does that surprise you?"

A mystified, half-angry look twisted Karma's muzzle. "I... don't play with me, Serendipity."

"It's so fun, though!" Serendipity giggled.

" _We're_ soulbound," Karma said incredulously. "You and me."

"I mean, duh?" Serendipity chuckled. "We're drawn to each other. We're the orderiest Order and the chaosiest Chaos. We're _made_ for each other!"

"Uh..." Karma gave an amused huff.

"Opposites attract, yadda yadda," Serendipity shrugged, wiggling a front paw.

"...If I were to ask Destiny... would she be able to tell that two _Celestials_ are soulbound...?" Karma wondered, staring at the ground.

"Pff, isn't that like looking at the back of a math book for the answers?" Serendipity laughed, throwing her paws out. "C'mon, you know you can't resist me."

"It would seem that you have proven that... _physically_ at least," Karma said wryly. "Though I _can_ just make another portal, you know."

"Too late," Serendipity pointed at a van pulling up through the astral window. "I delayed you for long enough to prove my point." Gideon Grey, the fox that had bullied Judy in the past, came by to apologize to her, and by sheer coincidence, happened to speak the colloquial name "Night Howler".

"What... incredible!" Karma blinked. "Gideon... his reformation- he _deserved_ to be free of his guilt from his past bullying of Judy, so he was drawn to my exemplar for that... but where did that _luck_ come from!?"

"Since you like theories so much, I've got one of my own," Serendipity turned around and kicked through the air, her paws behind her back. "Judy's not your exemplar."

"What, she's yours?" Karma smirked.

"She's _ours_ ," Serendipity smiled. "And so is Nick. They're _both_ ours."

"...That _would_ explain a thing or two," Karma had to smile. Her smile grew wider as she visibly saw the fire return into Judy's soul as the little bunny started to put the pieces together, knowing that she had to return to Zootopia to set things right. "...I think she's a little more _me_ , though."

"Probably," Serendipity wiggled her feet.

"So, all that business about us being soulbound..." Karma clicked her tongue. "Was that a 'hustle' on your part?"

"Nah, I meant it," Serendipity winked. "I kinda think Nick and Judy must be soulbound by proxy, then! Betcha she goes right back to him."

"Hm, she hurt him pretty badly," Karma searched the ground, then looked through the window at the bunny tearing off in her father's truck. "...But I think she deserves to close that circle and start another with him."

"Right?" Serendipity laughed. "C'mon, lets meet up with the others and go see what happens next!" Serendipity flew off enthusiastically, but then halted and looked back at Karma sternly. "...No making any more portals."

"No portals," Karma conceded, shaking her head and rolled her eyes. After one last sigh, she started to slowly walk after the exuberant Celestial. "I think I'm starting to believe in our exemplars again."


	11. A Winning Combination

Karma's pace became unhurried as she slowly trotted to the meeting place. Serendipity had taken a leisurely position mounted on her back, and Karma was tolerating this, if barely.

"You know, you can get off of me any time you'd like," Karma remarked.

"Yeah, I know," Serendipity tittered.

A large astral window was already open and focused on Zootopia at the meeting place, which wasn't too unusual. More surprising, however, was that all eleven other Celestials were already there, and most of them were looking at the two with measures of concern. Serendipity squeaked and Karma's eyes widened.

"Um, hello...?" Karma greeted hesitantly.

Acceleration was the first to speak up, and the white cheetah tilted his head in feline curiosity. "So... what did you _do_?"

"What did I-," Karma started, then took in a small breath.

"Judy's combing Zootopia up and down for Nick," Drive observed, zooming in the astral view slightly to pick up her truck. "Whatever you did, it really restored her focus on her goal."

"You've got _me_ curious, that's for sure," Fervor smirked, folding his arms. "With all that fuss you put Fortitude and me through, I figured you were about to do something drastic."

"It sure seemed that way from what she told _me_ ," Accleration wiggled his head rapidly in affirmation. "Something about bringing balance to both of our worlds...?"

Phantasm laughed gently. "For a balance to come to this realm... numerically at least, a loss would have to occur. I was wondering what sort of thought might have entered your mind, Karma."

"Aheh...!" Karma grinned with an unusual broadness. "Well, I'm still around, so..."

"Are you sure everything's fine?" Paradigm asked. "I sensed an explosion of Order and Chaos energies."

"Yup, everything's perfectly peachy!" Serendipity insisted, starting to float off of Karma's back.

"Huh, an 'explosion' of Order and Chaos energy huh?" Fervor's smirk grew dangerous. "If I didn't know any better-"

"You _don't_ know any better, Fervor," Fertility interrupted with a chiding smile. "So hush."

Several of the Celestials chuckled.

"Uh, I don't get it," Growth blinked, tilting his head.

" _So_ ," Karma barked, clearing her throat and trying to thrash the giggling Serendipity away with her tail. "What's- ah, what's the status?"

"Well, whatever happened, Judy is trying very hard to find- oh, she's gotten a lead from Nick's acquaintance Finnick," Drive peered down at her. "Her conviction to find Nick is suddenly so solid, and chance seems to be working in her favor to find him."

"She's very strong," Fortitude nodded in agreement. "But what force is driving them together? I thought I heard that the two aren't soulbound." A few heads turned toward Destiny, who was standing there with a bland look on her face.

"Nick and Judy are a special case," Destiny said finally. "It's not that they were _created_ soulbound from the Source, but their being exemplars of two that _are_ soulbound makes the two bound regardless. It's a different kind of bond, and unprecedented in the mortal world."

The shock and surprise on many of the faces around caused Karma to cringe and Serendipity to look off to the side with her paws behind her back, trying to wrestle her mouth away from a big grin.

Growth broke the silence with a loud exclamation: "Karma and Serendipity are _soulbound_!?"

Celestial heads turned to the two standoffish looking Celestials, then back to Destiny.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Destiny replied blithely.

"Mmm," Fertility's eyes half-closed as she fluffed her cheeks. "I did always wonder about those two... they do work well together."

"Huh," Fortitude grinned.

"So, by bringing 'balance' to the Celestial realm..." Fervor tapped a claw on his muzzle.

"We have eons to discuss this at some other time," Karma blurted, clearly flustered, her posture almost crouched, "let's focus on Judy at the moment, if we could."

"Because of their bond," Fortitude narrowed his eyes, "does that mean that both Nick and Judy have tendencies from both of their patron Celestials?"

"Something like that," Destiny nodded. "Though weighed more toward which they are the exemplar of."

"Intriguing," Surrender piped up abruptly. "Dual exemplars...?"

"Hey wait, wait," Growth's eyes widened. "Judy's found Nick!"

Judy approached Nick, eagerly telling him about what she'd discovered about the Night Howlers. Nick responded with sarcastic dejection and began to leave.

"What...?" Fervor blinked. "She led with _that_?"

"Tsk, it does _fit_ her," Karma frowned. "Her morality drove her to let him know that she was wrong about predators straight away, but she didn't realize how much she'd hurt Nick, or how deeply he feels about things..."

"It's not over yet, Judy! Go after him!" Serendipity wiggled her front paws.

Judy pursued Nick, and launched into a heartfelt plea for Nick's help. She asked not for his forgiveness nor his compassion, just for his aid.

"Oh..." Fertility smiled. "She touched him... she touched his very core." Fertility looked very pleased and her face softened.

"What's he gonna do?" Growth saw Nick rustling for the carrot pen he'd been hustled with, and played back a recording of Judy calling herself a "dumb bunny". Growth's face was as confused as Judy's

"Hehe, surprise!" Serendipity giggled. "He kept the pen, 'cause Judy's important to Nick!"

"That's a weird way to show it," Acceleration's eyes flickered on and off.

"Eh, it's totally Nick-ish," Serendipity flicked her paw, assuming Nick's colors. "He's got this thing with carrying around significant items, thinking they'll bring him the fortune he wants, or at least remind him of what could have been had things been luckier."

"And they're together again," Fertility smiled. "So sweet..."

" _Yes!_ They are _so good_ together!" Fervor looked enthralled. "Now they can go kick some tail!"

"Ooh," Serendipity grinned as they headed off. "I'm getting a weird feeling about those blueberries. And he's putting them in his Junior Ranger Scouts handkerchief from his childhood! Double lucky bonus!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Karma scrunched her muzzle.

"Dunno yet; we'll find out!" Serendipity was getting more and more excited, vibrating in midair.

The newly-reconciled duo sought out Duke Weaselton, whom Judy had arrested before. After three months he was back out on the streets, selling DVDs. When Nick and Judy shook him down for information, he refused, saying there was no way the two could get him to talk. The two tossed each other a look.

"Oh, I know what _they're_ thinking," Phantasm grinned.

Duke was dragged off to the crime boss Mr. Big, and he was suddenly all-too happy to talk.

"Ha!" Fervor grinned. "Can we call that Instant Karma?" Karma rolled her eyes at the quip.

"Just add water!" Serendipity agreed as the weasel was held over an icy pit. "Really, _really_ cold water!"

"Well, revenge _is_ a dish best served cold," Fortitude remarked sagely. Karma groaned loudly.

"Patience, Karma," Surrender said, barely stifling a grin. "The real test begins now."

"They're getting right into the heart of the chemical operation," Surrender noticed. "Dawn's lackeys won't be expecting them..."

Against Nick's desperate urging, Judy launched a surprise attack on the chemist and started to attempt to steal the train.

"Wh-what!?" Drive blinked in disbelief. "She's trying to start the train? She's trying to start a dilapidated _train_."

"And it's starting," Acceleration's eyes became upward curves. "All aboard!"

"How did she even know how to _do_ that?" The caracal celestial stared at Serendipity.

"She's just lucky, I suppose," Karma grinned at the floating bunny, who squinted her eyes in happiness.

"Oh, this is not good, this is _not_ good..." Industry fretted, nibbling on his paws. "The utter recklessness! They're surely going to destroy something!" He summoned several bodies, each opening a window with various equations and projections on them. The bodies came to a consensus, and the original mouse looked up at the main view in despair. "No no, this has a very, _very_ low probability of going well...!"

"It's this type of high-stakes action that really gets the blood pumping!" Fervor flew around in a broad circle, leaving a trail of fire. "Get them, girl!"

"Kick that ram! Ha _ha_!" Fortitude stomped at the ground. "I love that bunny!"

"How on Earth did she make that shot?" Drive marveled at Judy's kicking of the ram, which altered the track course to avoid a head-on collision with another train. She looked up and spotted Serendipity's enormous grin. "You know what? I'm going to stop asking questions."

"It's gonna crash, it's gonna _crash_!" Industry screeched, his extra bodies vanishing. "Destruction, doom, danger!"

And crash the train did, spectacularly, into multiple explosions.

"But Nick kept his head," Karma noticed. "Despite Judy's recklessness, he was able to focus on protecting the most important evidence to the case. The piece that will inevitably spell the defeat of Dawn should they tie it to her."

"She is on her way now," Surrender warned. "She will not be able to let that pass. She will silence the two if nothing can be done to stop her."

"Here comes the game changer," Paradigm nodded. "They've isolated themselves in a building under construction. The perfect venue for a disaster to befall the exemplars."

"But which ones...?" Fortitude narrowed his eyes.

Judy was able to intuit Dawn's suspicious arrival, and a tense chase ensued. Judy unluckily injured her leg on a prop mammoth tusk and she and Nick were forced to come up with another plan.

"Just listen to them go!" Fertility marveled as Nick and Judy formulated a strategy. "They speak as though of one mind... their thoughts flow like quicksilver!"

"The way their ideas are collaborating is very inspiring," Phantasm considered. "But can they bear fruit so quickly?"

"Hehe, yes, they sure are gonna bear _fruit_! The blueberries! The _blueberries_!" Serendipity squealed. "I knew something felt funny about them!"

"Blueberries, the one fruit that could possibly be the harbinger of justice in this occasion," Karma chuckled. "That... is a new one."

By pulling a convincing scam, Nick was able to fake going savage and delay Dawn enough to get a confession out of her. Meanwhile, the ZPD were summoned by Dawn's own hoof, and quickly surrounded her. Karma beamed with pride.

"There might be something to that 'Instant Karma'," Paradigm chuckled.

" _YES_!" Serendipity flew a loop in the air, giggling. Karma turned her warm gaze up at the exuberant floating bunny.

"Dawn has been defeated," Surrender smiled. "At last, her corrupt perversion of my ideals will be suppressed. Destiny."

"Mm?" The giraffe was barely paying attention to him, focused on the scene.

"When Dawn finally passes away," Surrender started, "you and I must examine her soul. Should Karma be correct about Calamity residing within her..."

Destiny nodded, giving him her attention. "I wonder if this all has been some sort of game that Calamity has been playing. Was he really erased, or has he been attempting to cover his tracks? Did he find some sort of way to go dormant for a few hundred years, only to attempt to subversively return in the soul of an exemplar?"

"I suppose that is a question we will have to answer at another time," Surrender shook his head.

"The damage has been done to Zootopia," Paradigm warned solemnly. "Fear and intolerance have been stirred. Merely removing the head of the plot will not erase them. However... now things will now slowly come back into balance."

"And thank Chaos for that," Karma grinned at Serendipity, who proudly waved both front paws.

"Never thought I'd heard those words come from our Orderly pup," Drive chuckled.

"It does take eons, but even the Celestials can change," Acceleration nodded to his fellow feline.

Karma closed her eyes and smiled. It was a change she felt was right. The observations and lively talk between the Celestials calmed her, and she finally felt at peace.

* * *

Nine months later, Karma was reclining in her Territory, her large tail swept around her and in her mouth. One of her ears twitched, and she flicked a paw to open a small astral window. She observed Judy, as exuberant as her first day at the ZPD, now with her partner Nick at her side, about to receive their first assignment together.

"It's been a long time coming for them..." Karma half-smiled. "Finally, they will get to enjoy each other's company."

"What? Where?" Serendipity's voice came from Karma's midst. "Pfeh! Get this thing off me!" Serendipity wiggled out of Karma's grasp, throwing Karma's large, concealing tail off of her. She matched Karma's colors, but quickly switched to police blues when she saw what was happening. "Ooh, look, there he is!" Serendipity giggled into her paws. "Not even Nick can hide how pleased he is!"

The two obtained an assignment to catch a speeder, and their drive was full of playful banter and affectionate quips.

"Wow..." Karma shook her head. "'You know you love me?' A bit bold, and a bit provocative..."

"And the response is just as teasing!" Serendipity squealed. "Oh, what a cute little couple they make! I'll have to show Fertility that one."

"I suppose the question now is..." Karma looked at the ground, "have they fulfilled their role in Zootopia's history? Saving it from a crisis, becoming the first of their kinds on the force? Or has their journey just begun?"

"Their journey _together_ has just begun," Serendipity turned her head, shooting Karma a coy smile. "Who knows what their combined talents are capable of?"

Karma swiftly darted her muzzle forward and gave Serendipity a long lick, to which she shrieked and wiggled.

"Who indeed?" Karma teased.

"Hey, you're not supposed to surprise _me_!" Serendipity protested, wiggling her paw reprovingly. "That's not _fair_!"

"Oh, but Serendipity," Karma yawned. "It would be _ever so_ boring if we were completely beholden to our own traits forever... even your ability to shock and surprise could get predictable and dull after a time."

"But _you've_ never gotten sick of my surprises," Serendipity accused.

"No, Serendipity," Karma looked at her warmly. "I suppose I haven't. ...So keep surprising me, little bunny. On into the future. For eternity."

Serendipity saluted, her lower lip wobbling. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Speaking of surprises..." Karma grinned, getting up. She growled playfully. "Perhaps it's time I showed you why ancient canines revered me as the Celestial of dogged pursuit."

"Eep!" Serendipity squeaked, and poofed out of existence, then back into existence further from her. "Like you could ever catch me!"

"You'll get what's coming to you, Serendipity...!" Karma lunged for her, starting to chase her.

"I hope so, but she'll have to catch me first!" Serendipity laughed and flew away.

* * *

Phantasm entered Growth's Vale, where the small deer was relaxing.

"As I've been summoned, I come, like the comforting visit of a returning dream," Phantasm greeted.

"Phantasm! Hello!" Growth sprang up and began to frolic around her. "I was hoping you'd tell me a story today."

"Of course, Growth," Phantasm nodded, her mane and tail flowing freely. "What would you like to hear?"

"Tell me the story of how Serendipity and Karma learned to accept their differences and grow closer together," Growth said with a smile. "How they both learned to change and become stronger with each other."

Phantasm laughed. "Silly Growth. That story just happened."

"It's still a good story!" Growth insisted, his eyebrows raising. "C'mon, I wanna hear how _you_ tell it, with all your confusing metaphors and flowy similes and stuff."

"As you wish," Phantasm said with a smirk, starting to recline in the Vale. She looked over at Growth with a teasing eye. "Shall I skip the mushy parts?"

"Oh, no way!" Growth said exuberantly. He shut his eyes and his horns glowed green, and he "grew up" into a teenage form, his voice dropping a bit in response. "See? I'm mature enough to take it!"

"Very well..." Phantasm laughed softly as Growth reclined near her. "Once, there were two Celestials by the names of Karma and Serendipity..."


	12. A Fanciful Flight

Judy was having one of her favorite dreams again. One where she was _flying_.

The meadows and grasslands were far beneath her as she soared through the midday air. Judy couldn't help but grin; she loved these dreams. Willing herself to accelerate, she flew up and past the clouds, looking at the next layer of clouds far above. Spiraling around, she dove back into the lowest layer of clouds, and saw the spectacular skyline of Zootopia.

Judy paused in midair, beaming. The gorgeous colors and shapes of the buildings popped out from this perspective. All of its splendor represented something she wanted to protect. The city that had first unified predator and prey. The city that had brought understanding. It was her home now, and _she_ had saved it. She placed a paw lightly on her chest, discovering she was still wearing her ZPD uniform.

"Kinda weird, huh?" A cutesy feminine voice off to her right remarked.

Judy turned to her right and saw a similarly airborne bunny fly right up to her and halt. The bunny had golden brown eyes and fur, and was wearing a pilot's uniform that looked just a bit too big for her.

"What's weird?" Judy smirked, folding her arms.

"I mean, all this!" The pilot gestured between herself and Judy. "Bunnies can't fly!"

" _Bunnies_ can do anything they want," Judy remarked with half-closed eyes.

"Oh, I guess you sure showed _them_ , didn't you?" The pilot bunny giggled, gesturing to Zootopia. "You saaaaved the world...!"

"Not the world... just Zootopia," Judy held up a finger. "And- and I had _help_! I couldn't have done it without Nick."

"But Zootopia... the rest of the world kind of follows its example, hmmm...?" The golden bunny tilted her head. "You reversed the fortune of the entire world!"

"Eh..." Judy began to look a little discouraged. "Well, I had to break it before I could fix it."

"Aw, nonsense, it was all the fault of that eeeevil sheep," the golden bunny wiggled her fingers. "Now c'mon, you should save the city again. _From me_!"

The golden bunny burst out of her uniform and became gigantic, planting herself on the ground near the city.

"What the-?" Judy's eyes widened.

"Raaaaaawr!" The bunny bellowed in a mostly unchanged voice, stomping through the city. "Um, you're supposed to stop me, Judy."

"I guess this is one of _those_ dreams," Judy rolled her eyes.

"Show me what you got, toots!" The bunny put up her fists, bouncing around the city.

"Okay, here goes...!" Judy put on an adventurous grin and flew straight toward the titanic bunny, swooping down and then straight up into the bunny's chin, driving her fist into her chin with a flying uppercut.

"Whooaaaaaaa ho ho...!" The enormous bunny went flying off comically into the sky.

"And that's that," Judy dusted her hands off.

The golden bunny reappeared in a scientist's coat and a more normal size, her hand to her forehead. "Wow, look at me go."

"Uh!" Judy flinched at her suddenly being there again.

"That force you exerted was massive!" The golden bunny wiggled her finger instructively. "Your 'dream self' is really powerful! You dream _big_!"

"Thanks... I think?" Judy's eyebrow went up. "I guess I'm having one of those zany dreams that make no sense."

" _Only_ the best _kind_ ," the golden bunny replied haughtily, rubbing her paw on her coat.

"So... what are you?" Judy's eyes narrowed. "Some kind of representation of my indomitable spirit?"

"That's right!" The bunny claimed, perking up and trying to look authoritative. "I'm here to tell you to never give up! Trust your instincts!"

"Well, I have given up before," Judy muttered, "and I have trusted my instincts, and that was my mistake..."

The bunny yelped as storm clouds started to move in on the city. "Hey wait, this is supposed to be a _fun_ dream! Get outta here!" The bunny wiggled her arms and the sky cleared.

"Heh, I may have had dreams about flying before, but never with a funny little bunny sprite like you," Judy considered.

"The name's Serendipity!" She flew in a circle and saluted, changing her colors a few times and assuming her Celestial form.

"Well if the flying didn't tip me off, being confronted by a perky, silly goddess sure would be a _big hint_ that I was dreaming," Judy laughed.

"Yeah, ya think?" Serendipity knocked her own head with a fist.

"I wonder how many people dream about you," Judy looked her over. "And are they all bunnies?"

"I can be whatever I want, sister!" Serendipity changed her form rapidly to show a variety of other animals, including a cow, a camel, a pig, even a wolf. She settled back on her bunny form. "Bunnies are the best, though. We're lucky!"

"So the rumor goes," Judy rolled her eyes.

"What, you don't _believe_ in me?" Serendipity pouted.

"If Lady Luck herself existed, she's gotta be _very_ fickle," Judy looked accusingly at her with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, you got _that_ right," Serendipity laughed. "At least I'm fickle and not _lazy_ , like Destiny."

"The Giraffe Reaper is lazy? I don't think I've heard that one before," Judy started to think. "This _is_ really odd... I don't think I have any point of reference for dreaming about the Celestials..."

"Eh, like I said, you're a big dreamer," Serendipity flicked her paw. "And you an' Nick are gonna achieve _big_ things!"

"Bigger than what we've already achieved?" Judy laughed, beginning to float around herself. "Is that written in the lucky stars?"

"Um, don't know! Let's check!" Serendipity snapped her fingers, and the day instantly and rather comically changed into night. Serendipity looked up and Judy followed her gaze.

Judy had to laugh as the stars conspicuously spelled out "NOPE".

"Guess you'll just have to make your own future!" Serendipity shrugged. "Carve it into the stars yourself!"

Judy waved her hands, willing the stars to rearrange to instead read a big "OKAY".

"Wow, you _are_ a powerful dreamer," Serendipity admired. "Okay babe, this one's for you!"

Serendipity flew headlong into the city of gleaming lights and set of numerous colorful fireworks. Judy gasped, then chased after Serendipity.

As the two flew through the air, Judy gained a perspective of the radiant explosions she'd never seen in her life. The stars from the fireworks seemed to burst all around her, and she flew along buildings and through explosions, enchanted and agape at all of the wonder.

When she caught back up to Serendipity, she had paused in midair, and was now wearing an orchestra conductor's formal clothes, waving a baton in the air as she conducted the firework show.

"Is there anything more cool than explosions!?" Serendipity shouted over the din.

"Wow, this is amazing...!" Judy looked truly in awe as the city sky flared with color and light.

Serendipity dropped her arms and baton, and slowly the fireworks came to and end. She giggled and floated up to Judy.

"Know what, though?" Serendipity stopped right next to Judy and touched her nose with her baton. "You deserve it."

Judy flinched at this, and Serendipity flew backwards.

" _KABOOM_!" Serendipity herself burst into a radiant golden firework, which shimmered with sparkles and light. The sparkles made a lingering simulation of her own face, which winked at Judy.

Judy smiled serenely, feeling some unusual mixture of warm appreciation and fanciful amusement. She hoped she would remember the dream to tell Nick about later.


	13. A Reflective Tide

Nick found himself alone in a peaceful island setting. He felt at peace, and heard the calm din of the waves crashing against a beach.

Walking toward the beach, he realized he was unclothed. Placing a hand to his forehead, he looked out upon the horizon. There was a sumptuous sunset.

The ocean was vast, and it seemed to beckon him, though he stopped at the water's lapping edge. He whistled, impressed, folding his arms.

"Lovely, isn't it?" A pleasant, though strong female voice beckoned him. Looking off to his left, he saw a beautiful female fox. Her fur was the very rare "gold platinum" pattern, a flush of white marked with a lot of light, creamy orange. Her eyes were an enchanting soft magenta. She was also lacking clothing.

"This isn't one of those sexy dreams, is it?" Nick quipped instantly after giving the lovely fox a once-over.

"It better not be," the fox returned a pleasant smile. She pointed a finger at him with a narrowed eye. " _You_ belong to a bunny."

"Well, 'belong' is a bit of a strong word, isn't it?" Nick chuckled, holding his hands behind his head.

"Is it, though?" The fox asked. "After all you've done for her? All you've pledged to her?"

"Yeesh," Nick grumbled, holding up his paws. "My dreams usually aren't so philosophical. I get a lot of them where I'm super behind on my school courses or where my teeth fall out." He tested his teeth with a finger at the thought. "But being confronted by a nude golden platinum fox? I think this is a new one."

"That you remember, anyway," the vixen looked out to the ocean. "What does the ocean mean to you?"

"I don't know," Nick shook his head. The vixen looked to him curiously. "I seriously don't. It's the unknown. Some strange stuff lives down there. I've never... I've never been to the ocean. All my life. That's for fishermammals, for leisure, for eh-" Nick interrupted himself and trailed off, looking pensive.

"Go on?" The fox leaned her head forward, her eyes darting toward the red fox.

"For explorers..." Nick said distantly.

"This new life you've chosen," the fox said, "it's an exploration, in a way."

"Mm, maybe that's why I'm here," Nick nodded and stretched. "Just like the ocean... I don't exactly know what I want out of it."

"Do you feel that the universe has given you what you deserve, Nick?" The vixen looked out toward the water. She walked toward it and splashed at the water with her paw as she crouched down.

"What I- what I _deserve_?" Nick had to laugh.

The vixen turned around and stood straight up, her ankles in the water. "Do you think you deserved a chance like the one Judy gave you?"

Nick swallowed. "I sure don't think I earned it."

"What makes you say that?" The white and orange fox's eyes narrowed.

"Even with all the hardships I've been through..." Nick scanned the horizon, past the white fox, "...no. I wasn't working hard enough to earn the chance I was given. ...That's what it was, a _chance_." Nick balled up a fist, then let it slowly release. "I even walked out on that chance, but it came back to me. _She_ came back."

"The lucky little bunny?" The vixen smiled.

Nick huffed in amusement. "That 'little bunny' is wild. It seems like she was tossed into Zootopia to disrupt it as much as help it."

"Well, a disruption did put her there," the female fox giggled.

"...Who are you, anyway?" Nick narrowed his eyes.

"Merely a representation of justice," the fox said. She looked out toward the horizon. "Nick, do you believe in a higher power?"

"Shoo... what a loaded question," Nick folded his arms and shrugged. "What if I say no? Are you gonna go all glowy-eyed and 'how dare you, mortal!? I am the Goddess Karma herself, and I shall smite you for your hubris! Even to your next three lives, I shall haunt you!"

"Ew, is _that_ how people think I sound?" The fox succumbed to a fit of laughter, doubling over and collapsing, ending up sitting in the water.

"You're Karma...?" Nick looked incredulous. "You're _Karma_."

Karma looked up at him from the water. "Remember, this is just a dream you're having. It's an early dream too... right after you fell asleep. So it'll be short, and the chances that you'll remember it are close to nil. ...Speak your mind, Nick."

"My mother believes in God," Nick looked off to the side. "You know, the Lamb and Lion and all of that. I can't say- I can't say I was very religious. Especially with what happened to Dad and the whole- the whole bit where my wide-eyed wonder got shattered right in front of me."

"Mm..." Karma wiggled her feet in the water. "How could a loving deity ignore the plight of this poor young fox? How could they allow such suffering to go on in the world?"

"Yeah, I wrote religion off," Nick said, trying not to look at Karma. "After I met Judy, though... I began to wonder."

"She put the fear of God back into you?" Karma asked lightly.

"The fear of bunny, at least," Nick had to chuckle. "No... with all the crazy stuff that happened, and with what we survived... it almost seems like someone somewhere was looking out for us, you know? Judy and me."

"I guess it _would_ seem that way..." Karma rose again, her fur all wet.

"So that was you?" Nick blinked. "With how important and grave all the things that happened to Zootopia were in recent times... _you_ had a paw in it?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I didn't?" Karma shrugged. "All of this is the fault of just one bunny. The one bunny that uttered those three little words."

"Felony tax evasion?" Nick grunted in a crestfallen voice.

"Hmhmhm... well that's _your_ bunny that changed your life with those words," Karma held a paw out, then raised it skyward. "I'm talking about the bunny who whispered 'Mammal Inclusion Initiative' into the ear of an approval-hungry mayor lion."

Nick followed the paw of Karma as it raised to the sky. Inky purples and indigos were taking over the sky, and she pointed at a vaguely-familiar constellation.

Karma drew in the sky, and somehow her claw connected a few stars. She sounded out the syllables to the word: "Serendipity".

The constellation connected, it looked vaguely like a circle with two large ears that didn't quite meet back at the base.

"Serendipity, eh?" Nick shook his head. "That bunny deity?"

"One of them," Karma winked, sketching in a cartoonish face into the constellation and dusting it with shooting stars. "The cutest one."

"Ooh, I've heard bunnies don't like it when you call them that," Nick held a finger up.

"Well, with bunnies, you never know..." Karma shrugged, her tail waving trails in the water.

"So... why all this then, Karma?" Nick swept his hand over the vista. "Why all the symbolism and fantastic sights? What use is it if I'm just going to forget it?"

Karma actually looked taken aback. Slowly, she looked down, then smiled and looked back up. "Even if it is forgotten in a large sense, some part of it will stay with you in your subconscious. This is... this is I think what it means to be a Celestial. ...We're meant to encourage you, even if we're forgotten. Even if we've largely vanished from the physical world."

"A Celestial, huh?" Nick shrugged. "That's a pretty old religion, isn't it? The worshipers of the Celestials?"

"...I should have known you were special from the moment you came from the source," Karma smiled fondly at him. "Your soul did follow Serendipity and me after all." She sighed. "Well Nick, it's been fun, but I think I should go and leave you to the rest of your nocturnal fantasy. Hopefully Phantasm will send you some nice ones."

"Um, okay," Nick looked over the pretty vixen one more time. "What- what's this all about, Karma? ...Is there anything you'd like me to _do_?"

Karma turned to walk deeper into the ocean. Her form began to glow magenta, but before her features became indistinct, she turned her head and winked at him.

"Surprise me."

Karma's form broke up into glowing magenta stars that scattered. Nick walked a few steps after them, but they were caught up by the wind and swooped into the sky, where the magenta stars formed a constellation of a vaguely fox-shaped head with a tail swept around it right next to Serendipity's constellation.

Staring up at his dreamscape night sky, Nick got an unusual sense that the stars were exactly where they belonged.


	14. The Future Calamity

**Author's Note: As Serendipity might say: "Surprise!"**

 **I decided to round out this story with the "missing" chapter, inasmuch as there is a "missing" Celestial.**

Centuries before the Night Howler conflict in Zootopia, the Celestial Calamity was pacing around his own view of the Earth. He slunk around on all fours, his purple, hazy hyena form seeming to twitch erratically. His eyes contained no sclera, only sockets in which jittering orange lights served as his pupils.

"Vexing, most vexing..." Calamity said to himself, his confident voice at odds with his disconcerting appearance. "The pred and prey are moving forward with these inane plans to make peace among themselves. I hate peace! It's so boring! Hyahahaha!"

Despite cocking his head back for a cackle, he gnashed his teeth back together and stared at the view, his pupils jerking around even more rapidly. "And a sheep, Surrender's own exemplar, is going to shepherd them into the peace arrangements? Gag. I bet Surrender feels so pleased right about now..."

A grin spread too-wide across Calamity's face as he had a thought.

"I have half a mind to possess Surrender's exemplar... that would be fun," he resisted the urge to cackle, causing him to jerk his head violently to the side and make an eerie shrieking sound. "If I do it just right, I could likely suppress my entire existence from the rest of the Celestials. If they don't want war, terror, and distress, then they shouldn't have it. See how they like it... I'm sure Karma will be _very upset_ that there suddenly isn't a balance in the number of Celestials from either side... hehehe...!"

Abruptly, Calamity's window to Earth closed, and he tilted his head ninety degrees with a sickening crack.

Where the window had been, a shadow formed on the ground, yawning wide open as a form emerged from it. It was, essentially, Calamity. The only difference was that this other Calamity was standing on two paws.

"Now this is interesting," Calamity was amused at the presence of his upright doppelganger. "Are you me?"

"Indeed, from the future," the upright form nodded, mirroring Calamity's bemused expression before his head twitched in an unnatural direction. "Ooh, what a ring that has. The Future Calamity. The Impending Disaster. The Approaching Apocalypse."

"The future, huh?" Calamity grinned ever wider. "Is that _allowed_?"

"No, not exactly, but when have I ever played by the rules?" The future Calamity snickered with remarkable restraint, for him.

"Fair enough, I was just thinking about-" Calamity started.

"Yes, I know, that is of course why I'm here," the future Calamity finished, sweeping his hand across his chest in a bow. "I'm here to tell you to not go through with it."

"Why not?" Calamity pouted. "Because it made you walk upright like every other sapient mammal on the planet?"

"No no..." the future Calamity held a finger up which jerked of its own accord reprovingly. "Because I love myself more than anyone else, so I thought I'd inform you that it's a bad idea." He leaned over slightly to pet his younger self on the head.

"Hahaha...!" Calamity jerked away. "That's creepy, even for me."

"Well, I have many hundred years on you," future Calamity said, "I've learned how to become more unnerrrrrrrving. Hnhn!" His body jerked upright and he made a wretched sound like gulping air. "Anyway... I'm sure you're in a fuss because you think war will end or some dross. You think your intervention will change things."

"Won't it?" The present Calamity asked.

"In a way... the one thing that is sacred in this universe is free will. We can lurk in mortals all we want, whisper in their ears... but it is up to them to choose what to do."

"Which is why we scare them into doing what we want," Calamity grinned in a sinister fashion. "Terror works on the primal level."

"But self-righteous mammals like that sheep..." the future vision of Calamity shook his head until it looked like it might come loose. "They will just fight you. You will lay dormant in the soul of Surrender's exemplar for a long time... then in their next life, you will finally have success because of the difficult life of _that_ sheep."

"But something goes wrong?" Calamity's toothy smirk almost comically drooped into a toothy frown.

"You're stopped by mortals, of all things," the future Calamity claimed, "exemplars of Serendipity and Karma-"

" _Karma_!" Barked Calamity, "I never did like her..."

"-and with less suggestion from their representative Celestials than you. Without even knowing you were behind it!"

"So I should just not _bother_?" Calamity sneered. "What's in that for me?"

"Ah, my young self," future Calamity lowered his head and looked at his younger version ominously. "You have a lot to learn about suffering, but I can leave you with this assurance. As I stayed in the body of a mortal, I learned to appreciate their dread, anxiety, and mourning a lot more than in the wars we so liked to look upon. The suffering, the disasters... they're more subtle, yes, but it is the difference between someone swallowing something whole and savoring it with agonizingly slow chews."

"Hmm..." Calamity considered with a grin.

"What fun is sending off gaggles of mortals to Destiny, anyway? Do you enjoy watching her laze about?" The future self asked him. "Or no, that's right, she's had a lot of work to do in this time period... hnhn."

"You're suggesting the many families crying out in mourning over their dead loved ones can be topped?" Calamity didn't seem convinced.

"No... just taken in smaller doses," future Calamity chuckled. "The fun thing about mortals is there will always be reasons for them to fear and distrust each other, as long as any differences exist. From where you are now... you actually have a much greater chance to influence the world. You might even get your own exemplar one day... and what fun that'd be, hmm...?"

"Very well, you've convinced me," Calamity cackled softly. "I suppose I can endure this peace for now."

"Excellent!" The future Calamity laughed with much, much less restraint, doubling over. With his laughs still hanging in the air, he fell back into the shadows.

"Well... doing nothing is easy enough," Calamity sat on his haunches. "I wonder if or when I should start standing around on two legs like that? I wonder if it'd be creepy to the other Celestials, heheheheh-HHRGH!"

Calamity was abruptly dashed to the ground by an intense force hitting him in the side. As he turned his head to look, a flaming bunched up paw smashed him across his face, laying it back into the ground. His jittering eye still catching sight from the side of his head looked desperately at his attacker.

It was Fervor, but he looked very unusual. His eyes were all black, and they seemed to swallow light from around them. Instead of being surrounded by an aura of flames, the aura was instead just crimson and black, and carried with it intensely conflicting sensations. More unnerving still was the wide grin Fervor wore as he punched Calamity yet again, hard enough to cause a dent in the realm's ground, though it quickly healed itself.

"Ggnngh!" Calamity felt the unusual feeling of a spike of fear. "Fervor! How... pleasant to see you! Normally I wouldn't mind a bit of roughhousing, but that actually... _really_ hurts!"

"Hahahaha! _Hello_ ," Fervor shouted. His voice was also very unusual, though Calamity couldn't quite quantify how. A large slash of his burning claws left a searing gash across Calamity's side, and he yelped as he felt some of his vitality leave him to repair the wound swiftly.

"Fervor!" Calamity exploded into shadow, his jittering eyes backing away, and his body reforming several paces away from him. "Why are you striking me? Have I done something to vex you? I swear I have done nothing wrong!"

"We _know_..." Fervor replied with a manic grin. "That's the trouble!"

"I beg your pardon?" Calamity tried to hold a pleasant, if twitchy smile, but Fervor's behavior was making him back up. Fervor was... driven, but not _insane_.

Fervor laughed, a shrieking, booming laugh that rivaled Calamity's most disturbing attempts.

" _Do it_ ," Fervor's unnatural aura flared, fire jetting off of his hands. He took some wild swipes with the jets of flame, and Calamity barely managed to hop over them. "Do it, Calamity! Do what you were meant to!"

"I don't know what you mean!" Calamity lied. He was beginning to fear he had been found out.

"Liiiieeeeeing!" Fervor's deranged smile held firm. "Go! Possess the _sheep_. Remove the balance! It will _amuse us_. Centuries of _fun_! DO IT! HAHAHAHA!"

"You're...!" Calamity heard a commotion off to his side and saw Fortitude bearing down on him full tilt. He possessed a matching aura to Fervor's, and his eyes were similarly affected.

"Oh dear sweet Chaos..." Calamity lamented.

"BINGO!" Fortitude bellowed out, goring him with his metallic horn. "NOW GO!"

With Fortitude's prodigious might augmented by some powerful force, Calamity's form went flying through a good portion of the Celestial realm, and when he finally hit the ground he rolled helplessly across it for an impressive length.

Calamity sucked separately for air, pawing at the gaping wound in his belly. His wounds healed, though slower than his first, and he felt his vitality drain to the point that it was hard to stand, and his eyes started to lose their jitter, his fuzzy form coming more into focus. He coughed violently. "Ooh... that can't be good..."

The stately form of Karma heard the coughing and walked up to the smaller Celestial. She tilted her head up in derision, sneering at him.

"What happened to you?"

"Ah, Karma...!" Calamity had a guilty smile. The Prime Deities had never, ever interfered with the Earth Celestials' affairs, not that he knew of, anyway. It would have been pointless to try to convince her what he thought happened. "I was-" he coughed twice "roughed up a bit by Fervor and Fortitude."

"Hmph, if so, you probably deserved it," Karma sniffed.

Calamity displayed a steady smile, though he seethed inwardly. His grin tightened as he had a wicked thought. "Something is the matter with them, I think. Perhaps all this talk of peace on Earth is causing them to rebel? You should probably check it out."

Karma looked skeptical, but shook her head, her long tail flicking. "All right, if-"

Mid-sentence, a bluish white aura surrounded her and her eyes became bright white beacons. She stood up even straighter than before.

"Oh, perfect," Calamity whined, getting to his feet. Glowing cyan and white circular sigils snapped around each of his limbs and neck, leaving him immobile. "Urk!"

"When a Celestial traverses the timeline," Karma began in an extremely clear voice, "and they alter their own course of action, a timeline diverges into a tangent, causing another in the multiverse."

"Ah!" Calamity grit his teeth.

"Who is the master of time?" Karma asked.

"Uh-Order," Calamity panted.

"And who is the master of space?"

"Kh-Chaos!" Calamity attempted to smile.

"Oh, so he _is_ intelligent!" Serendipity flew into view, spinning around Karma, though that black-red aura and the abyss of color in her sclera informed Calamity that Serendipity was undergoing the same type of possession that he had seen turn Karma. "We had wondered!"

"What you have determined to do, you must do," Karma said sternly.

"But, but Karma..." Calamity giggled. "Er- Order...? Your- your grand deities, omnipresent and powerful-"

"Just talk, imbecile!" Serendipity laughed, but it wasn't her laugh; it sounded much more unsettling.

"You- you wouldn't _want_ me to possess a mortal's soul for centuries, would you...?" Calamity huffed desperately.

"It would not be ideal," Karma blinked slowly. "However, though we may abide many things, the transgression into multiple space-times bearing the same cosmic signature is something we would vehemently punish. Proceed upon your previously decided course of action or perish."

" _Perish_!?" Calamity struggled against his ethereal bonds desperately. "That's- that's not... how can you punish me for something I haven't done? Just because I _will_ do it?"

"Aww..." Serendipity smiled darkly. "The Celestials are _so cute_ with their linear understanding of time."

"Doesn't this-" Calamity felt a desperation he'd never known before. "Go against the sacred right to free will?"

"Not at all," Karma said. "Do what you have determined, or perish. It is your right to choose. If you choose oblivion, we will replace you. It is simple."

"Ff-fine! Yes, I'll do it! I'll do it! I'll go possess that sheep!" Calamity screamed in desperation. "B-but your Omnipotences... I am very low on energy from the thrashing I received... so I'm not sure I can-"

Karma looked slowly at Serendipity, who looked back with a put-upon expression.

"OKAY FINE," Serendipity screeched, and the stars of a firework's explosion appeared around Calamity, and imploded into him all at once. He experienced an unprecedented surge of energy coursing through his form, though it was coupled with incomprehensibly distorted shrieking sounds. His vision quickly blurred, showed him disturbing sights that he could not fully comprehend. He felt in that second that he'd lived through an entire year of suffering, then everything suddenly faded, including the shackles on his limbs, and he again felt how he was accustomed to feeling.

As Calamity was near Karma's Territory, Karma led him to the middle. She tapped her paw on the ground and the space around it instantly formed divine patterns that swirled into a vortex leading to the mortal world. Calamity hoped as much, anyway.

"Go," Karma said. "And do not transgress upon space-time again."

"Or do!" Serendipity shrugged. "It's your funeral. Or wait, we suppose you won't get one, because no one will recall you! Kahaahahahagh!"

"I am most honored to have experienced your presences," Calamity said graciously as he leapt into the portal.

"What a troublesome planet Earth tends to be," Karma spoke softly.

"Isn't it amazing!?" Serendipity cackled. "What about that reality where monkeys rule the whole thing?" She fell back, suspended in the air, laughing shrilly and terrifyingly. Karma just shook her head. With a sigh, both auras simultaneously blew off of the Celestials, leaving Serendipity's giggling to change in tone and pitch to be her pleasant, delightful voice.

"Whoa, weird!" Serendipity hummed after her fit settled. "I wonder what I was laughing about."

Karma looked confused at the floating bunny's sudden presence, though it wasn't unheard of for her to show up unannounced. "You do tend to laugh at random things."

"Yeah, but usually I _know_ what I'm laughing about..." Serendipity looked thoughtfully into the air, tapping a paw on her mouth. She shrugged. "Oh well!"

Karma looked at the deep crimson and rust colors the bunny's fur was sporting. "Ah, Serendipity... I don't think those colors quite suit you."

Looking down at herself, Serendipity made a face. "No! Blech! You're right!" She snapped her fingers, becoming a uniform cyan with matching eyes. "Better?"

"I suppose," Karma rolled her eyes. "Now would you let me be?"

"Okie dokie!" Serendipity spun around and poofed out of the Territory, leaving Karma to lay down and place her long tail's tip in her mouth.

* * *

Hundreds of years later, Acceleration ran at top speed into Karma's Territory.

"Hh!" Karma dropped down firmly to the ground, startled.

"Karma!" Acceleration yelled, his eyes showing exclamation points. His glowing pupils then blinked, as he was not used to seeing Karma's eyes so wide open. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"I- er, what can I do for you, Acceleration?" A corner of Karma's muzzle turned up in an uneasy smile.

"Well!" Acceleration took a ready posture on his four legs. "I came here to inform you that-"

"Puah!" Serendipity's head burst out from between Karma's forepaws, near her chest. "Karmie, I love surprises and all, but I'm not sure about this whole 'suddenly plopping down on me' thing."

"Oh, er," Acceleration stifled a chuckle. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Just, please, say what you need to say," Karma's eyes half-lid.

"When looking over Earth this morning for my report," Acceleration began, "I saw a hyena in Zootopia I'd never seen before."

"A hyena...!?" Karma grit her teeth, standing up on all fours, letting Serendipity unsteadily float into the air near her.

"At this, I found I could remember Calamity!" Acceleration exclaimed, assuming a readied stance. "From hundreds of years ago! I thought you should know... it appears he has somehow left Surrender's exemplar and assumed a corporeal form!"

Though Calamity was far from Karma's mind at the time, she thought and found she _could_ remember Calamity from times past; the memories seemed very naturall and like slots had been filled in.

"I do remember him," Karma scowled.

"Me too," Serendipity nodded three times rapidly. "What do we do...?"

"Now that he's shown himself, we must bring him back to our realm," Karma declared, "but... perhaps we should get the input of all Celestials before we make a move. Acceleration, if you'd gather up all of us at the usual meeting place?"

"On it!" Acceleration said, and a burst of red was visible as he vanished.

Karma sighed. "I need to create some sort of warning system for my Territory."

"I dunno if it'd help against Accel," Serendipity smirked.

"No, probably not..."

All thirteen present Celestials gathered around a large viewing screen, showing Zootopia. There was a hyena taking in the sights of the city in the crowded Downtown sector.

"It's Calamity, all right," Destiny scowled, tilting her head so her skeletal form was visible. "The soul's composition doesn't match other mortals."

"That's breaking the rules!" Growth shouted, eyes wide. "Uh, isn't it breaking the rules?"

"I had come to think so," Karma cocked her head questioningly, "but... there he is." She looked around. "No one feels any sort of presence...? Like the Prime Deities may be upon us?" Shakes of heads revealed the answer.

"I've never seen the Prime Deities in my life," Drive remarked. "I don't think any of us have."

"Regardless," Surrender fixed his horizontal pupils on the view of the Earth. "Calamity cannot be allowed to continue roaming the Earth. He will undoubtedly get into trouble."

Fortitude chuckled. "Surrender, are you holding a grudge? Y'know, because he corrupted your exemplar and all? Seems awfully convicted coming from you."

"I'm merely stating the probable outcome of our non-interference," Surrender said calmly. "We need to recover him. Suggestions?"

"It's easy enough," Fervor shook his fist. "I'll go down and kill him."

"Huh!?" Many Celestials expressed their surprise and flinched.

"What?" Fervor shrugged. "It'd just bring him back here!"

"That's far too risky," Karma shook her head firmly. "If we do something that's noticed as being out of place by mortals, I have no doubt that some or all of us could be punished. He's keeping to crowded areas."

"So I'll drag him into an alley!" Fervor smirked.

"That would still leave a body," Phantasm sucked at her teeth. "And it would divert the lives of many mortals seeking to do investigation into this 'John Buck'."

"I'm assuming you have a better idea then, Phantasm?" Fortitude accused.

She smiled. "Of course I do. I have the best ideas! I'll need Industry, Acceleration, Fortitude, and Fervor. Everyone else should keep an eye on him from up here, and be ready to intervene to close off his escape routes if necessary."

"What is your plan?" Destiny wondered.

Phantasm grinned at Karma. "We'll arrest him."

"Surely he'd be able to break from handcuffs using his powers," Drive protested.

"But not ones made from a Celestial," Karma found herself somehow hopping onto Phantasm's train of thought. She closed her eyes to focus, then opened them suddenly. A glittering pair of magenta handcuffs appeared before her in a flash of light.

"Haha..." Serendipity giggled nervously. "Those are... um, _kinda_ conspicuous..."

"Not to worry," Phantasm smiled, taking one end of them in her mouth and balancing it on Fortitude's horn. "Celestial objects look normal enough in the mortal world."

"I'm not going to ask how you know that," Karma huffed.

"All right, everyone keep a close eye on Calamity so he doesn't get away now," Phantasm said airily. "I'll be taking your portal to the mortal world, Karma, if that's okay. My team, follow me!" The Celestials obeyed her, following her proud trots.

* * *

"He's being kind of boring," Growth mumbled in disdain, having watched the hyena wander about the city for a few hours.

"Guess he doesn't want to do something so obvious as to grab our attention," Drive considered.

"Honestly, I hope we don't do too much to attract mortal attention," Fertility fretted, a paw near her mouth. "I feel like we're edging the line as it is."

Phantasm trotted over to the rest of the Celestials. "The plan is in motion. We should have Calamity in no time."

"Hopefully not literally," Paradigm chuckled softly. "Hey, uh, is that Fortitude and Fervor?" The bear zoomed in the view closer, looking into a police car traveling a bit too fast.

"They _stole_ a _cop car_!?" Growth barked incredulously in equal parts amazement and disbelief. "That's not subtle!"

"Isn't someone going to miss it?" Fertility looked up at Phantasm. The horse merely smiled.

With a flash of blue light, Acceleration appeared, with Industry on his back. The mouse hopped off.

"Not to worry, friends," Industry zoomed over to the view. "Phantasm's ideas are quite sound! Normally. I took a few hundred of myself down there to repair a decommissioned police cruiser, using Acceleration to acquire the necessary discarded parts. Also I sewed them those uniforms and made them badges."

"Ah, all right..." Destiny nodded.

"Uh, you're welcome?" Industry scoffed, feeling underappreciated.

"Ugh," Acceleration's glowing eyes spiraled in "loading" patterns. "I wish I could've ignored more laws of physics down there. My fur kept catching on fire as I ran about."

"What are you doing, Serendipity?" Surrender asked of the floating bunny, looking at a separate, smaller view.

"Aaack...!" Serendipity flailed in midair, pointing to her window. "Nick and Judy saw our guys! They're moving to intercept."

"Of all the-!" Karma grit her teeth. "Their penchant for being at the right place at the right time certainly knows no bounds..." she glared at Serendipity, who shrugged with a guilty smile.

Fortitude and Fervor were able to trap the hyena, and after a quick confirmation that he was indeed Calamity, they arrested him.

"Oh please don't tell them your real names," Karma begged as the exemplars asked if they needed assistance.

"Officer Ferrum?" Phantasm smiled in approval. "Huh, clever."

"Serendipity, they need a sign that it's safe to come home," Phantasm said as the cruiser drove off to a less populated area of Sahara Square. "When it is, could you give them one?"

"Um, sure!" Serendipity looked at them and glared intently at the display, waiting until mortal senses of the police car were zero, then formed some firework stars in her paws, gently blowing them into the window to Earth. They were carried by a gust of wind that sent them flitting by Fervor and Fortitude's vehicle.

Almost instantaneously, the vehicle vanished and reappeared in the midst of the other Celestials, making them all gasp.

"Bwaagh!" Serendipity "fell" back in midair. "OH MY GOSH CAN I DRIVE THE CAR!?"

As if in response, Fortitude assuming his usual metallic form caused the car to sag ominously to one side.

"Uh, maybe it's still drivable," Serendipity looked cautious.

Fervor exultantly exploded from the top of the car, flying about in his fiery form. "Ha _ha_! We got 'im!"

"With a mandatory sun roof?" The bunny added.

Abruptly, the rest of the car disintegrated.

Serendipity huffed dramatically, flopping over in the air. "That's just rubbing it in."

"It doesn't come up often, but mortal objects cannot stay constituted in the Celestial Realm," Phantasm nickered in amusement.

"Again, I'm not going to ask how you know that," Karma muttered dryly, approaching Calamity. He stood there, twitching erratically as his Celestial form manifested itself. He still stood tall upon two legs, however. "Calamity. Welcome back."

"Oh, it's so good to be home," Calamity smiled insincerely. "Wow, the gang's all here to welcome me back! Did you miss me?"

"Actually, no, we did not. We _could_ not," Destiny raised an eyebrow. "Your memory suppression saw to that."

"Right, right, I supposed it did! Hyahahahah!" Calamity jerked his torso back several degrees and laughed.

"So what made you leave your- er, _my_ exemplar?" Surrender asked judgmentally.

"Boredom," Calamity grinned. "Bellwether will carry the corruption of her actions all of her life. I just thought I might explore the world while I still could, but my... you all caught me very quickly."

"That's thanks to Karma," Phantasm said, nodding toward her. "She filled in the missing pieces, and we just about figured that you actually existed and that you were missing before you showed up.

"Ah, Karma, always a thorn in my side," Calamity chuckled at her as he towered over her. "I'll just be leaving now." He tried to assume a shadowy form, but his arms jerked as the Celestial shackles on his arms flared up and held him steady.

"You think as the Celestial of justice I didn't plan for this?" Karma tossed her head with a bit of smugness. "...Wow, that sounded pretty cliche. Anyway, I created shackles capable of trapping a Celestial. You're to stay here and answer our questions of what you've done."

"You've gotten very intelligent, Karma, can't say I expected that," Calamity teased, bowing for her with a sickening cracking sound. He looked at her with his jittering glowing orange dot eyes. "And have you lost _weight_? My my! When I left, you stood taller at the shoulder than any wolf! Now, you're barely bigger than a fox! Hm, what could have made you adopt that look...?"

"Ghh..." Karma looked uncomfortable, her pupils sweeping back and forth, but she saw only positive expressions from other Celestials. Some were warmer than others, but there were still many smiles.

"Listen here, you!" Serendipity flew in front of his face, to his surprise. She shook her paw at him reprovingly. "You've caused Karmie- er, all of us Celestials a _lot_ of trouble." Her fur became blanketed with a crimson, rusty color. "You're lucky that the Prime Deities themselves didn't sort you out!"

Surprising everyone, even Serendipity, Calamity instantly cringed at the admonition, releasing a tense, extremely nervous laugh.

"Yes! Yes indeed!" He said quickly. "Ever so lucky!" He looked her over, searching her eyes desperately for pupils, and seemed to relax slightly when he saw them.

"Huh, that _worked_?" Fortitude huffed in amusement. "Nice, li'l sis!"

"Thanks!" Serendipity saluted, drawing her paws close to her chest as she became a bright, cheery yellow color with turquoise eyes. "I feel all powered up!"

"Right on!" Fervor flew near her and offered her a high-five, which she energetically accepted. Karma smiled at the antics.

"All of this self-congratulation is tiresome," Calamity rolled his eyes. "May I go now?"

"Not just yet, I don't think," Paradigm still towered over Calamity, despite the latter being on two feet and the former on four. "We still need some sort of explanation from you as to why you went through all of this trouble."

"Well, it really isn't that complicated," Calamity sighed. "Ironically, I suppose I didn't want the old days to end, I was resistant to change, the very nature of Chaos. I thought the peace between pred and prey would mean the end of my fun. I decided to remove myself and my influence from all but the one most likely to cause positive change in the world that I detested, Surrender's exemplar."

"Hmph," the sheep huffed, looking mildly displeased, his wool looking "partly-cloudy".

"But this _has_ been a learning experience," Calamity conceded with a chuckle. "Sure, I may have _suggested_ a grandiose plan to Bellwether that unfortunately failed and would have brought back some of the 'good ol' days'... but really, I've become more of an epicurean. I learned to savor each misfortune, each sense of dread from those exemplars I possessed... and it gave me perspective I've never known before! Now that I'm back, I can help instill those feelings in mortals on a much grander scale."

"...Well," Destiny harrumphed. "That _is_ technically his job."

"Hahaha... we can't have the light without the darkness, now can we?" Calamity grinned unnervingly. "You should try possessing a soulbound, Destiny! It might give you a new appreciation for the lovey-dovey feelings they tend to have." Karma began to look angry at this, to which Calamity was momentarily confused.

"I think I'll pass," Destiny yawned.

"The most wonderful thing about the world is its differences," Calamity smiled broadly, holding his arms up in a plea for understanding. "And how those differences will always breed malcontent between the haves and the have-nots, between the strong and the weak, between those that desire control and those eagerly seeking peace. There will always be suffering to enjoy! I'm truly grateful to be back home. The modern form of suffering may be less grandiose than all the murder and war, but it is still so delicious."

Drive frowned at this. "Well... he isn't _wrong_ , is he...?"

"Not exactly," Karma stepped forward, breaking Calamity's shackles with a twitch of her head. "But you listen to this, Calamity. I now believe beyond all doubt that even with all of the differences between mortals and Celestials alike, we can still achieve great things together." She gave Serendipity an openly warm smile, to which Serendipity hung in the air and waved at her excitedly with a giggle. "The likes of Nick and Judy have taught me that... seekers of justice will go through any hardship to bring Order and Chaos in balance."

"Hahahaha...!" Calamity laughed gently. "You sound like pages from a self-help book. Maybe even one Bellwether read while she was struggling with her own issues. Anyhow, I think I should go home, yes? Those looks you're all giving me say that you've had about enough of me for one day."

"Oh, by the way," Fortitude smirked smugly. "I demolished your lair. Hundreds of years ago, even. I wasn't sure why it was there, so I broke it."

"I..." Calamity held a finger up, then it drooped, though his large smile remained. "I suppose that _would_ make sense. Well, Industry? Would you like to help me out with rebuilding?"

"Do it yourself," Industry snapped. "You have eternity up here."

"Delightful as always!" Calamity clapped twice. "Ah well, see you soon!" His form became shadow, and with a low shrieking sound, his eyes moved off, followed by the shadow.

"Well... the family's all back together again," Fertility smiled uneasily. "That we know of, anyway."

"One bad apple..." Growth frowned.

"Though he does seem more mellow than usual," Surrender noted with a nod, "perhaps he will be more tolerable in coming centuries."

"We can only hope," Destiny rolled her eyes, starting to walk off.

"If not, I'mma punch him!" Serendipity punched her fists together.

"I'll help!" Fervor volunteered.

"And I'll smash 'im!" Fortitude stomped his front two feet.

"Ah, Chaos Celestials," Karma rolled her eyes. "Ever violent."

"Aw c'mon!" Serendipity held her paws out wide. "Y'know you love me."

"Are you really using _that_ line on me?" Karma sighed warmly, to expectant glances from other Celestials.

"Well, do ya?" Growth wanted to know, wearing an eager smile.

"Yes," Karma giggled fondly at the floating bunny. "I do."


End file.
